00:09Hello everyone. I'm still in Cambodia, well, indirectly. By the way,
00:16I am still in France, in my room, transcribing what my great-grandmother
00:22he had told me when I was little. There is one thing our elders always taught us,
00:27A territory is not just a stretch of land; it is a memory, a presence, a connection.
00:35living among the inhabitants, the ancestors, and the sacred places that protect us. Near our borders,
00:42In some hilltop villages, it is said that a stele had long existed, or sometimes
00:48an ancient temple, which held within it the spiritual heart of the territory. This place was not there
00:55simply to be looked at. He reminded everyone where respect began, where it ended.
01:01covetousness, and why our people watched over its borders. The elders also say that in the past,
01:07Groups from elsewhere crossed these borders, not with humility, but out of self-interest.
01:14to exploit, take, and appropriate what did not belong to them. In doing so, they violated what
01:21The wise call for respect for places. And when this respect is broken, it's not just a
01:27A rule that is broken is a balance that is destroyed. It is then, it is said, that the [event] manifested itself.
01:34the spirit of the sacred front, a protective spirit, guardian of the site, guardian also of memory and of the
01:43Justice. He didn't attack by force first. He warned. He sent signs. Storms.
01:51arose without warning. The crops became barren. And in the smoke or in the cries of
01:57Owls, some saw visions, as if the invisible world were speaking to remind them of the limits
02:04that should not be crossed. But the warnings did not only concern foreigners. All the
02:11times when land was ceded without listening to the elders, without consulting the community, without
02:17By respecting the rituals, the spirit would shift the misfortune back onto those who had broken the covenant.
02:25Then came the losses, the illnesses, the conflicts between loved ones, as if the earth refused to let us decide
02:31of them without wisdom. What this story teaches us is that decisions on the territory do not
02:37They can never be taken lightly, nor imposed from above, nor sold in secret. Over time,
02:45However, the villagers understood that a break can also be repaired. They learned to come back
02:52They humbly approached the sacred place. They organized reconciliation ceremonies. They paid tribute.
03:00offerings. They invoked the protectors during treaties, during demarcations, during the
03:06discussions about borders. In other words, they understood that peace cannot be protected only
03:12with words or documents, but also with respect, memory, and the right actions. And the
03:20The lesson we must remember today is simple and profound. When we act arrogantly,
03:26We wound the earth, our relationships, and our consciences. But when we act with humility,
03:32With respect, for our traditions, for our elders, for our sacred places, then anger
03:39He withdraws, and little by little the land calms. The wounds of the past never disappear.
03:45Completely, but they can stop poisoning the future. This story, for me, doesn't speak
03:52only of a mind or an old border. She speaks of us. She speaks of our duty to
03:58to protect what has been passed down to us. She speaks of consultation, dignity, and self-determination.
04:05local and heritage preservation. It reminds us that when a people forgets
04:11He loses himself in the soul of these places. But when he respects it, he regains his strength. Immediately,
04:18the spirit of the sacred forehead.
04:32From my room, far from here, I think of Cambodia, of those stories, of the words recounted by my grandfather,
04:44to this memory that calls to us. A territory is not just the land. It is the soul of
04:55ancients,
04:55Prayers. It is a living, sacred, profound bond, which is protected for generations.
05:05Oh, spirit of the sacred brow. Still watch over our lands. When pride comes to profane all.
05:20It is the earth that comes to speak. Oh, the spirit of the sacred brow. Guardian of our truths.
05:32A people who know how to respect. Regain their strength and pride.
05:41Men came without respect. To take those who coveted him.
05:49But the ancients already knew. That one does not cross those places.
05:58Storm, fall. Silence, singing, fan and the spirit came to warn us.
06:05Because any land that one tries to steal eventually reopens.
06:11But if we return with an idea, with memory and truth.
06:21Then the wounds of the past can slowly heal.
06:30Oh, spirit of the sacred brow. Still watch over our lands.
06:39When a people preserves its soul, nothing can truly erase it.
06:59Subtitling by Radio-Canada
Commentaires