Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) Analysis in Seven Fallen Feathers

The Nishnawbe Aski Nation (abbreviated as NAN) is a political territorial organization representing 49 First Nations communities across Northern Ontario. It was established in 1973. As of 2021, Alvin Fiddler is currently the Grand Chief of the NAN. About 45,000 people both on and off reserves belong to the NAN.

Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) Quotes in Seven Fallen Feathers

The Seven Fallen Feathers quotes below are all either spoken by Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) or refer to Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN). For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

Colonialism, Cultural Genocide, and Racism Theme Icon

The court system had assigned one of the largest, most complex inquests in Ontario’s history to one of the smallest rooms in the building. […] The room allocation was […] a slap in the face to the parents who had waited years for the formal investigation into their children’s deaths to begin.

Outraged and insulted, Achneepineskum, Falconer, and NAN staff began moving chairs from other courtrooms and the lobby and jamming them into the tiny box they were allocated.

To the families, this scheduling gaffe was indicative of how the cases of the seven students were handled by authorities from the very start. Real life became a metaphor for how they had always been treated […] by the Canadian justice system.

Related Characters: Tanya Talaga (speaker), Julian Falconer, Sam Achneepineskum

Page Number and Citation: 277

Explanation and Analysis:

The Canada Day holiday approaches and the country prepares to celebrate its 150th birthday on July 1; for Alvin it will be a day of reflection. He will be at a powwow […] with his family. He will be standing in a circle with all the nations surrounding him in ceremonial dance, and he will be thinking of the children before him decked out in their beautiful jingle dresses, their bright-coloured ribbons, and their feathers, and he will wonder about their future and what he can do to make sure they make it to the final prophecy—the eighth fire. Can the settlers and the Indigenous people come together as one and move forward in harmony?

Related Characters: Tanya Talaga (speaker), Alvin Fiddler

Page Number and Citation: 314-315

Explanation and Analysis:

Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) Term Timeline in Seven Fallen Feathers

The timeline below shows where the term Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) appears in Seven Fallen Feathers. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...route, “devoid of charm,” to reach the administration office of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation, or NAN—a political organization that represents 49 First Nations communities encompassing two-thirds of Ontario. Tanya Talaga travels... (full context)

Generational Trauma and Circular Suffering Theme Icon

Indigenous Youth, Education Reform, and Support Networks Theme Icon

Tanya Talaga meets with Alvin Fiddler, the new grand chief of Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN). Fiddler oversees the governance of 45,000 people across the northern half of Ontario—and the youth... (full context)

...after another student named Reggie Bushie had been found dead in the water, he’d warned NAN that children in Thunder Bay were dying at school. Now, sitting across from Talaga, Fiddler... (full context)

...suicide is a rare thing—but from 1986 to 2016, more than 500 suicides swept the Nishnawbe Aski Nation alone. Seventy of those were of children between the ages of 10 and 14. A... (full context)

...think about was the abject poverty that still defined life for the children of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation and other First Nations communities around the country. He thought about the generational trauma the... (full context)

Tradition, Prophecy, Spirituality, and Hope Theme Icon

...requested standing at the inquest into Reggie’s death. So did Julian Falconer, on behalf of NAN; and so did the NNEC, the Office of the Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth,... (full context)

...would delay movement on the inquest for many years. While the case was stalled, the NAN lost another student, Jordan Wabasse, in May of 2011. He was the seventh student to... (full context)

In May of 2012, Julian Falconer wrote to the coroner on behalf of the NAN, reminding them that there were now seven dead students who needed to be included in... (full context)

At last, the chief coroner granted NAN the inquest into the deaths of all seven students. While the families waited for the... (full context)

...city with his father for some medical appointments. Tammy’s body was found quickly, but the NAN had to organize their own search command center to “turn Thunder Bay upside down” until... (full context)

NAN took many steps to create more community and youth leadership activities for teens, to keep... (full context)

...concerned that time was “ticking” for Indigenous youth in Thunder Bay, called for an emergency NAN meeting to discuss the crisis of how to keep students safe throughout the school year,... (full context)

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Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) Term Analysis

Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) Quotes in Seven Fallen Feathers

Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) Term Timeline in Seven Fallen Feathers

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