Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Seven Fallen Feathers, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Colonialism, Cultural Genocide, and Racism
Generational Trauma and Circular Suffering
Indigenous Youth, Education Reform, and Support Networks
Tradition, Prophecy, Spirituality, and Hope
Summary
Analysis
On January 26, 2016, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal (or CHRT) ruled that the Government of Canada had racially discriminated against the country’s 163,000 Indigenous children. Justin Trudeau—the new Prime Minister—accepted the ruling and soon announced a new $71 million budget for child welfare. It seemed like a big step—but the First Nations Caring Society had estimated that at least $216 million would be necessary to begin making the changes that needed to be made. Over a year later, those children were still waiting for action.
Even when the government of Canada does take action on behalf of its Indigenous people, that action is rarely sufficient. Giving Indigenous communities less than half of what they asked for in terms of a budget to support out for vulnerable youth is essentially a slap in the face—and yet another instance of colonial violence in the form of profound neglect.
Themes
People like Cindy Blackstock allege that because racism is built into the structure of Canadian bureaucracy, the solutions to Indigenous people’s problems are still “not designed for anything other than colonialism.” Throughout Canada’s history, whistleblowers—both white and Indigenous—have tried to point out the systemic racism and inequity that blight the country. But they are always silenced or ignored.
Tagala and others assert that modern-day Canada is built on the erasure and extermination of its Indigenous people. And until there is some kind of meaningful reckoning with that fact—and an effort to eradicate colonial violence and racism—Indigenous people will struggle to receive the justice they deserve.
Themes
After the conclusion of the inquest in 2016, the Office of the Independent Police Review Director promised to carry out a review of racism and discrimination within the Thunder Bay Police. While people like Falconer consider this an important step and a big win, the review is just one step in a larger process of reckoning with racism, colonialism, and systemic apathy toward Indigenous people.
Starting with the institutions that perpetuate racism and colonial violence is important. But the police aren’t the only ones who ignore and overlook Indigenous issues, or whose actions make them complicit in the perpetuation of colonial violence. Structural change needs to happen at every level of Canadian society.
Themes
Norma Kejick stayed in Thunder Bay for the duration of the eight-month inquest. By the end of the inquest, her marriage had disintegrated, and her husband, who felt that the NNEC was more important to Norma than her own family, had left her. The devastated Norma decided to kill herself. But as she took a rope out into the woods, she asked the Creator for a sign to keep going. A mallard duck flew past, and Norma drove home. Though her suicidal thoughts returned over the next several months, she stayed alive and remained with the NNEC, committed to building a better future for Indigenous kids.
This passage shows how generational trauma and circular suffering threaten the lives of even the most devoted and optimistic members of Indigenous support networks. Watching so many students die—and watching their deaths receive little attention—had a palpable effect on Norma’s well-being. Her fight to stay alive, though, illustrates her profound investment in securing a better future for Indigenous youth, fighting tirelessly against the ravages of racism and colonialism.
Themes
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Meanwhile, Maryanne Panacheese’s grandson Rule began high school at Pelican Falls—she refused to send him to DFC. Even though Rule struggled throughout his first year of school, Maryanne worked constantly to remind herself that Rule wasn’t Paul—he was only a few hours away, and he was safe. She was careful not to push Rule too hard while still encouraging him to tough out the hard parts of school. Still, she continually feared that the cycles of pain and loss that had defined her life would never end.
Maryanne, too, faced circular suffering in the wake of her son Paul’s death. She had to work hard to remain optimistic, just like Norma. Again, Maryanne’s trauma illustrates the circular, all-consuming nature of colonial violence and generational trauma.
Themes
When Tina Harper returned to Keewaywin from Thunder Bay with her daughter Robyn’s remains, she learned that a couple in her extended family had had a baby girl—and they’d named it Julia Robyn. When the young parents couldn’t care for the baby, Tina adopted the child as her own. Though her husband passed two years ago, Tina felt that caring for Julia Robyn “rescue[d]” her.
This passage shows how individuals and communities in pain can find solace in the idea that the next generation can still be spared the pain of the previous ones. At the same time, the book has made clear that a parent or guardian’s love by itself is not enough to guarantee the safety of the younger generation.
Themes
Ricki Strang got a tattoo of his favorite random number, 71; Reggie had a similar tattoo of his favorite random number. Strang settled down with a partner and had a son, whom he named Reggie. He moved to Poplar Hill, but he agreed to meet Tanya Talaga at the McIntyre River to show her where he last saw his brother. As the two of them approached the swollen, rushing river, Talaga watched as Ricki tossed some tobacco into the water—an offering to his brother—before bending down and holding his arms out over the water.
Just as Christian Morrisseau humbled himself before the river in the wake of his son’s death, here, Ricki makes an offering to the river that took Reggie from him. This again highlights how Indigenous traditions and spiritual practices can offer solace and understanding in the absence of real structural change from the Canadian government.
Themes
Christian Morrisseau moved to Toronto, where he made a living selling his paintings. Morrisseau created a massive, brightly colored canvas called Seven Fallen Feathers in the middle of the night just after the end of the inquest. Disappointed by the results of the inquest, Christian felt empty—but he heard Kyle’s voice in his head, begging his father not to forget him. So Christian painted Seven Fallen Feathers to commemorate the bright, individual spirits of the lost Indigenous students. In the painting, the seven students, in profile, wait to move on to the next world. Norval, painted in red, is connected to Kyle by a thick red line—he guides his grandson on into the afterlife.
Christian’s creation of the painting called Seven Fallen Feathers is yet another instance that highlights how, in the absence of any real structural justice, Indigenous people are forced to find their own solace in the traditions of their past and in their spiritual lives. Christian’s painting commemorates the “seven fallen feathers” as individuals—as people—which in itself is a rebuke to the way that Canadian history, policy, and institutions have refused to see Indigenous people in general and these seven students in particular. In the absence of answers from the government or authorities, people like Christian must create closure and meaning for themselves.
Themes
