Introduction
Presenting the controversial topic of injustice and morality can be a difficult task for a writer. Tanya Talaga’s work “Seven Fallen Feathers” battles with the themes of unfairness and righteousness in the context of seven indigenous people’s lives, attempting to analyze the mysterious events in Thunder Bay (Talaga, 2017). Even though there may be various opinions on this work, society’s attitudes to the native populations were disastrous. In this essay, general injustices toward the seven students will be described, and explanations of the government’s actions’ immorality will be provided.
Native Indian populations in Residential Schooling
The issues of the relationship between the indigenous people and the Canadian population are highly varying. Talaga’s book “Seven Fallen Feathers” is targeted at disclosing the truth about those relations, presenting the stories of seven young people who died mysteriously between the years 2000 and 2011 (Talaga, 2017). The evidence states that the youth belonged to Native Indian people, who were wrongfully treated based on their origins (Talaga, 2017). In this work, these individuals’ life details are explained and supported by meticulous research from the writer (Talaga, 2017). Thus, the book allows the reader to understand the injustice caused by the residential schools’ environment.
To provide a thorough analysis of this story, the author presents seven stories separately. Even though the are many distinctions between the people described, such as the periods they lived in and the families they came from, all of the individuals suffered from similar difficulties (Burkhart, 2018). Society’s attitudes towards the teenagers were extremely negative, as the youth were treated as outcasts (Talaga, 2017). Talaga (2017) presents various reports of violence towards individuals who came from Indian families. Such students received harmful comments from their classmates and were considered non-important by the teaching personnel (Talaga, 2017). Moreover, the residential schools were located far from the Indian settlements, causing the children to be separated from their relatives and familiar surroundings (Talaga, 2017). Overall, the environment that young native people had to live in was incredibly hostile.
The government produced additional pressure on the indigenous youth. The support systems for the Indian representatives were highly insufficient, lacking the necessary programs to provide them with proper healthcare (Talaga, 2017). Furthermore, financial aid was only available for the boarding families, whose parenting actions were not regulated (Talaga, 2017). The native individuals’ well-being was not controlled or accounted for, which is a significant injustice, considering that the white students acquired satisfactory living arrangements (Talaga, 2017). In the case of Curran Strang, who suffered from various assimilation troubles, there was no support provided to help him overcome these issues (Talaga, 2017). Altogether, the young people from Indian reservations were placed at a severe disadvantage concerning other social groups.
Considering the Governmental Responses
One of the most striking facts stated in “Seven Fallen Feathers” is the authorities’ disregard for the indigenous students. It is noted that such acutely dismissive attitudes to the native youth were considered normal by Thunder Bay’s culture due to a long historical relationship between white and Indian populations (Talaga, 2017). Nevertheless, it was the government’s duty to provide all the citizens with the proper quality of life. The author describes the events after the children’s disappearances in extraordinary detail, and in all the seven cases, the town leaders’ negligence toward the missing youth is present (Talaga, 2017). The authorities would most often suppose that the teenager’s absence did not require investigation (Burkhart, 2018). “He’s just out there partying like every other Native kid” – was the officer’s response to the disappearance of Jethro Anderson (Talaga, 2017, p. 82). Such actions from the police might have led to the disastrous outcomes that we know today.
It is crucial to analyze the governments’ response to discovering the children’s bodies. Even though there were some attempts from the Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) representatives to launch search parties for the missing natives, the investigations’ overall flow was dangerously slow (Talaga, 2017). Additionally, necessary guidelines were omitted by the officers and coroners, who handled the cases of the indigenous people. Although it is mandatory to notify the next of kin at the beginning of the inquiry into the accident, this step was not performed on various occasions (Talaga, 2017). During the examination of Robyn Harper’s incident, the law enforcement specialists did not contact the girl’s mother to inform her of the circumstances (Talaga, 2017). The necessary information was not collected, and the authorities were able to simply close the case without any investigation (Talaga, 2017). Such negligence from the government’s officials is especially disturbing.
Investigations into the Natives’ Deaths
Substantial evidence exists that police officers did not continue their research into some of the native individuals’ missing reports. According to Talaga, the case of Paul Panacheese was never resolved (2017). Even though there is no malicious intent recorded in the evidence about this incident, the teenager’s cause of death is still unclear (Talaga, 2017). The mother stated that her son had collapsed on the floor, and there was no indication of illness (Talaga, 2017). The police’s lack of interest in this incident can be considered unjust.
Most of the incidents connected to the disappearance of indigenous students had a specific pattern connecting them. Five of seven individuals, who died during the period described, were found in the rivers near Lake Superior (Talaga, 2017). The coincidental nature of these deaths was never thoroughly investigated (Burkhart, 2018). It is still unclear why most of the bodies were discovered this way and if there is any connection between them (Burkhart, 2018). Moreover, in at least five of the incidents, their accidental occurrence is highly disputed, thus proposing a possibility of malicious intent (Talaga, 2017). Given that many native children suffered from their classmates’ hostile behavior, as well as the evidence supporting these statements, it is perplexing why the officials have chosen to ignore these cases. A proper insight into the situations that happened before the kids’ perished was required.
Considering the morality of the events described is especially essential in the missing teenagers’ cases. The attitude towards the native children was incredibly unfair, given that its occurrence was caused mostly by the stereotypes towards the Indian population (Burkhart, 2018). The records state that most indigenous individuals presented themselves as great students: they received good grades and showed exemplary behavior at school (Talaga, 2017). Some of them were especially eager to acquire secondary education, such as Jordan Wabasse, who had to persuade his mother to let him continue attending the classes (Talaga, 2017). Thus, it is necessary to mention the unfairness of the situations that transpired in Thunder Bay. The authorities’ negligence towards the children’s reports and lack of action after their disappearance is significantly erroneous. Having known the issues, the native teenagers had to face in their social surroundings, it was highly injudicious for them to accept the accidental nature of their deaths.
Conclusion
To conclude, it is essential to consider the injustices that minorities have to manage in their daily lives. Timely response to the issues surrounding small indigenous groups is a crucial factor in their representatives’ well-being. The government should uphold equality among all its citizens, especially those of young age. Additional support is highly needed for the Native Indian community to sustain a satisfactory quality of life for themselves and their children.
References
Burkhart, B. D. (2018). Seven fallen feathers: Racism, death, and hard truths in a northern city (Tanya Talaga).Transmotion, 4(1), 171–172. Web.
Talaga, T. (2017). Seven fallen feathers: Racism, death, and hard truths in a northern city. House of Anansi Press.