Fatty Legs: A True Story

Margaret-Olemaun does not talk about colonialism directly in the text, but Christy Jordan-Fenton provides the context for colonialism in the non-narrative chapters. Colonialism is a system in which a foreign entity, like a country or empire, occupies and seizes political control of another nation or another people’s homelands. The colonizer who seized control exploits the colonies, the occupied lands, for economic gain and resources. The British and French empires both colonized lands that become Canada and displaced and killed Indigenous people there. Non-Indigenous settlers who shaped modern Canadian nationhood and identity attempted to either eradicate or assimilate the continent’s Indigenous peoples through various eras of policy.

One major enduring legacy of colonialism is the silencing and stereotyping that settler society perpetuates regarding Indigenous people. As the authors note, mainstream education and literature rarely reflect the diversity and value of Indigenous peoples in Canada. Popular mythology often suggests that Indigenous peoples are like relics of the past who do not actively participate in or shape modern society. These notions are entirely false. Even in a colonized society, and even after eras of cultural genocide, Indigenous people maintain vibrant cultures and traditions. Indigenous communities also, however, continue to work to heal historical trauma wrought by colonialism and revitalize their languages and cultures.