Throughout The Marrow Thieves, Dimaline refers to the very real history of the residential boarding school system. During the 1800s, the colonial governments of both the United States and Canada created these schools as a means of “kill[ing] the Indian in the child.” Supposedly, the goal was integration into white society, but the result was more often a deep violation of the humanity of Indigenous children. The schools were administered by churches, and they forcibly separated Indigenous children from their families and prohibited them from speaking their languages or practicing their cultural traditions. School officials punished children severely for breaking these rules, and physical, sexual, emotional and abuse was widespread.
As Erin Hanson of the University of British Columbia writes: “Residential schools systematically undermined Aboriginal culture across Canada and disrupted families for generations, severing the ties through which Aboriginal culture is taught and sustained, and contributing to a general loss of language and culture. Because they were removed from their families, many students grew up without experiencing a nurturing family life and without the knowledge and skills to raise their own families. The devastating effects of the residential schools are far-reaching and continue to have a significant impact on Aboriginal communities. Because the government’s and the churches’ intent was to eradicate all aspects of Aboriginal culture in these young people and interrupt its transmission from one generation to the next, the residential school system is commonly considered a form of cultural genocide.”
In 2008, the Canadian government issued a formal apology in Parliament for the horrific history of the boarding schools.
