Fatty Legs: A True Story

“I didn’t know if anyone would connect with the experiences of a young girl far from home in such a terrifying place, but I did know that Canada had kept its secret about the residential schools for too long.” 

In the Preface, Christy Jordan-Fenton reflects on writing Fatty Legs with her mother-in-law after she heard her story in 2008. The book has become famous in the time since, but the motivation for publishing it was in the desire to educate people about Canada’s residential boarding school system, not a desire to write an instant best-seller and profit off of it. This context highlights the importance of Margaret-Olemaun’s stories and introduces readers to the bigger picture of the story—that of colonialism and violence against Indigenous people and communities.

“‘It isn’t just your hair, Olemaun. They take everything,’ she said, slipping her feet inside her kamik.” 

Olemaun’s older half-sister, Rosie, tries to convince Olemaun not to go to school. While Olemaun is enthusiastic about learning how to read, Rosie tells her that school entails much more than the books. Right away, the school staff cuts the students’ hair, which is both humiliating and traumatic for them. Olemaun knows she might lose her hair but does not think it is a big deal. That is when Rosie tells her that “they take everything.” The statement itself is vague. By “everything,” she means not only material things but also spiritual and identifying aspects of one’s self.