08 Feb Laura’s Look at Indian Horse
Here we have three of our lovely ladies of the LOL: From left, Laura, Ruth, Judy. Today’s post is written by my friend and colleague of the craft, Laura. So much fun to be with, Laura has a brilliant sense of humor she readily shares, though today she gets serious. In tribute to Richard Wagamese’s fine writing and powerful message…
I loved Richard Wagamese’s propulsive story-telling style. While I did know something about the horrors of residential schools, I was inexcusably ignorant of the extent of the damage suffered by and abuse inflicted on the native students hunted down and forcibly removed (essentially kidnapped) from their homes to be housed in these church-run institutions. The sexual molestation by the priests and nuns on which much of the outrage in the press has been focused, was merely one form of abuse. What I came to understand after reading this severe, yet moving novel was that these schools were not built to teach native children to thrive in the white world. Rather they were meant to break their spirits through torture and humiliation and to sever all ties with their old, traditional way of life. I learned residential schools are as much a part of Canadian history as hockey. And after discovering through Wagamese’s stark prose these tragic truths, for once I was not proud to be a Canadian.
Now that the LOL have wrapped up this book, stay tuned for the recipes and ratings of this novel–Monday.
Have a great weekend,
Cheers!
Shannon