Must-Read Book on Racism, Colonialism, and Indigenous Life in Canada

• English

"Seven Fallen Feathers" by Tanya Talaga is a powerful exploration of Indigenous life and death and our inaugural pick in the Catalyst staff book review series.

This is the inaugural review in the Catalyst staff book review series, in which Catalyst staffers highlight works that deepen our understanding of the experiences of women and members of marginalized communities so that we can build solutions to systemic barriers to equity in our communities and workplaces.

By Joy Ohm

Love. Respect. Bravery. Honesty. Humility. Wisdom. Truth.

These are the seven principles that guide Anishinaabe life and serve as the north star for Seven Fallen Feathers: Racism, Death, and Hard Truths in a Northern City by Tanya Talaga, the keynote speaker at 2023 Catalyst Honours in Toronto. Just as these principles propel this unforgettable portrait of Indigenous life and death in Ontario, so should this book guide readers who care about racism and colonialism in their quest for equity and reconciliation in their communities and workplaces.

The titular fallen feathers are seven Indigenous youth attending school in Thunder Bay whose deaths from 2000 to 2011—five were found in the local rivers—were never fully explained, even after their families and advocates pushed for a joint inquest which occurred in 2015. As an Ojibwe journalist who reported for the Toronto Star for more than 20 years, Talaga is bravely able to do what the coroners who officially called many of these deaths “accidental” couldn’t: Show that these students’ deaths were a consequence of the Canadian government’s historic mistreatment, neglect, underfunding, disenfranchisement, and disrespect of Indigenous communities.

I am neither Indigenous nor Canadian, so reading this book was eye-opening. Indigenous readers are likely to see many of their personal and communities’ experiences reflected in it and appreciate the power in Talaga’s honest and robust storytelling, arguments, and data. Canadians should make this required reading for all—it can be an important first step in understanding why the work of reconciliation is so urgent. Readers outside of Canada like me will learn how colonialism manifested in this region and may be inspired to compare and contrast how it has affected their own country or homeland.

Much of the book’s power comes from Talaga’s ability to bring each of the seven students to life. She has built relationships with the families, friends, and teachers who knew each child best. Her empathy and respect for the students shines through in personal details, the context she provides about their lives before and after moving to Thunder Bay, and the circumstances of their deaths.

While the seven fallen feathers are the melody of the book, the counterpoint is the steady presentation of data gathered from historical, legal, government, and news documents that place their individual stories into the larger national story. Talaga skillfully orchestrates the narrative so the children’s experiences and the world they inhabited illuminate one another. For example, although the youths were enrolled in Indigenous-led schools, they arrived at them with the scars of intergenerational trauma caused by decades of the residential school system; at the same time, their specific stories exemplify a contemporary educational system that struggles to provide for its students—and that some might say was set up to fail.

As Talaga shows over and over again, despite the best efforts of school administrators and staff, Thunder Bay is not a welcoming environment for young students from rural Northern communities who have never been away from home. And while there has been long-standing recognition of the harm caused by sending Indigenous children away to school, families still don’t have any other options, and children and their communities suffer.

Much harm is inflicted in the form of anti-Indigenous racist harassment, which the students regularly endured as they went about their lives in Thunder Bay. The racism continued in death. In each of the seven cases, and several others that are described, the Thunder Bay Police Service (TBPS) dismissed and devalued the people and the families involved, causing much pain, confusion, and anger. An independent review released in December 2018 found systemic racism throughout the TBPS, and a 2023 follow-up found “uneven” implementation of the 2018 report’s recommendations.

Ultimately, this book is a search for justice, a call for reconciliation, and an elegy. Allies both inside and outside of Canada should heed its wisdom and take action to make positive change. Despite the fierce advocacy of many families, Indigenous leaders, lawyers, educators, and others, Indigenous students are still not getting the support they need to succeed. Just this past December, Mackenzie Moonias, a 14-year-old student from Neskantaga First Nation, was found in the waters of Thunder Bay after being missing for five days.

If you are a DEI or HR professional, ERG leader or member, or you care about Indigenous inclusion in the workplace, take action by:

• Sharing this book with leaders, colleagues, and employee resource groups.
• Learning more about and reflecting on Indigenous colleagues’ experiences of inclusion or exclusion in your workplace.
• Exploring the history of the land and communities that your workplace occupies.

Learn more with the following Catalyst reports and resources:

• Building Inclusion for Indigenous Peoples in Canadian Workplaces (Report)
• Emotional Tax and Work Teams: A View from 5 Countries (Report)
• Exposé of Women’s Workplace Experiences Challenges Antiracist Leaders to Step Up (Report)
• How Racism Shows Up at Work and the Antiracist Actions Your Organization Can Take (Report)
• Indigenous Peoples in Canada: Ask Catalyst Express

 

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