Affirming Identity & Addressing Biases

Affirming Identity & Addressing Biases

Reflecting on The Marrow Thieves

Despite all the ways in which the novel shows the dangers of being Indigenous and the ways that Indigenous bodies bear the scars of trauma, Dimaline, the author, also suggests that Indigenous identity can—and should—be a source of pride and an antidote to the dehumanization of Indigenous people in general.

Reflecting on The Marrow Thieves

• Frenchie pays particular attention to the ways in which traditional Indigenous hairstyles, such as his long braid and Miig's Mohawk, make him feel proud to be Métis and, as he suggests of his braid, make him "a better Indian." 

• He also fixates on the buffalo tattoo on the back of Miig's hand (his "wedding ring" with Isaac) and sees the tattoo as a reminder not just of Miig's grief, but of the happiness, love, and culture that he and Isaac shared. 

Reflecting on The Marrow Thieves

• Similarly, Minerva's ability to destroy a residential school merely by singing traditional songs shows how Minerva's pride in her identity and in her language, as represented by the Cree song she sings, has the power to completely decimate oppressors.

Poll

Is there something about your culture, race, religion, or family that you are proud of and would speak up about?

• yes

• no

This sense of pride in one's identity as an Indigenous person is what the novel suggests will ultimately provide the tools and the knowledge necessary to effectively stand up to the government and to the Recruiters, and to stop the harvest of Indigenous bone marrow altogether.

Reflecting on The Marrow Thieves

• In this way, the novel itself stands as a mirror through which Indigenous readers can see themselves, their past trauma, and their resilience reflected back to them—they are encouraged to feel empowered by their cultural identity and its associated struggles, rather than defeated by it. 

• For non-Indigenous readers, the novel creates the space to feel empathy and compassion, and to recognize the importance of not replicating this dehumanizing trauma in the future.

Poll

Prior to reading this book, I knew...

• About the Residential Schools

• About the poor treatment of Indigenous people

• About some celebrations, honors, or beliefs of the Indigenous people

• About our country's history of rounding up those who we may fear

• None of the above

Stereotype:  to believe unfairly that all people or things with a particular characteristic are the same

Countering Stereotypes and Single Stories

 with Compound Sentence

IC, FANBOYS IC

Pick a Pattern or two: Write 1-3 sentences

“ I am______, but I’m not________.”

 “ I am______, and I am _________.”

Pattern #1:

“ I am______, but I’m not________.”

I am a feminist, but I don’t think women are better than everyone else.

• I am a sports fanatic, but that does not mean I do not appreciate music.

• I am an Indigenous person, but I am not a commodity. (Marrow Thieves reference)

Pattern #2:

“ I am______, and I am _________”

I am a feminist, , and I do use my voice for change. 

• I am an athlete, and I am also a proud bookworm and fan of Broadway musicals.

• I am an elder woman of our community, and I am a protector of our language and people. (The Marrow Thieves reference)

Pick a Pattern or two: Write 1-3 sentences

IC, FANBOYS IC

IC = Independent Clause

FANBOYS = (for/and/nor/but/or/yet/so)

“ I am______, but I’m not________.”

 “ I am______, and I am _________.”

Open Ended

USE 1 OR BOTH PATTERNS

Write 1-3 sentences

IC, FANBOYS IC

IC = Independent Clause

FANBOYS = (for/and/nor/but/or/yet/so)

“ I am______, but I’m not________.”

“ I am______, and I am _________.”