NPR's Book of the Day Julian Brave Noisecat’s 'We Survived the Night' is part memoir, part Native history
Nov 4, 2025
Julian Brave Noisecat, a talented author and filmmaker, shares his powerful insights about his father's harrowing story of survival from a residential school. He discusses the deep-rooted trauma in Native history and highlights the importance of reclaiming silenced narratives. Julian explains the significance of Indigenous names, the impact of intergenerational trauma on family life, and why he documents these experiences through film. He emphasizes the need for respect towards Native perspectives, aiming to reshape the understanding of Indigenous identities.
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Found In An Incinerator
- Julian Brave NoiseCat's father, Ed, was found as a newborn in an incinerator at a Catholic-run Indian residential school.
- That origin story shaped the family's identity and became central to Julian's exploration of his father's life.
Names Carry History And Responsibility
- Names carry responsibilities and histories, especially after colonial record-keeping altered indigenous names.
- The mistranscription of Noiskit to Noisecat turned a clerical error into a family story of survival.
Family Broken By Residential Schools
- Julian describes how the residential school system dismantled family structures and parenting across generations.
- His father struggled with those legacies and eventually left Julian and his sister, prompting Julian's search for understanding.
