- Stephen Nyee: I can't speak our language fluently, but I can understand it. And the reason for that is the residential schools. Before I left, I could speak our language fluently; but while I was there, I got it beaten out of me. So today, as a result of that, I can no longer speak my own language. And for me that's pretty sad, because when I left I knew it and understood it, and it made it extra hard on my grandparents.