Cultural genocide that exists as a result of the residential schools and the racism that has ensued has caused long term effects that leaves the country still battling with it today. The residential school was a place where one would lose who they are. Children have turned into what they are told they are. They believe that they are worthless, savage and just "dirty Indians" because that is what they had been called by the Canadians for most of their lives. As a classmate of mine once stated,
"Labels remove identity"
Once one gets labelled and the name sticks, their true identity is gone. In the novel, it explained that Saul's spirit was destroyed by the alienating effects of cultural displacement. Just like many other children who suffered through the residential school system, Saul lost his self. This is no different than a girl being bullied in school and everyday she is told she is ugly, and then when she grows up she lacks self-esteem and suffers from anxiety. However, as kids, we are always learning about bullying, bullying prevention and how to help someone who is affected by bullying in order to raise awareness of the issue and promote positive mental health in children and adults. Ironically, we are not taught about the effects of the cultural genocide and the impact it has had on the mental health of indigenous Canadians. While we promote inclusion, respect and equity for all in our schools and in Canadian society, an awareness for the treatment of indigenous people in Canada seems to be lacking and I question whether that is due to lack of understanding of the situation or because Canadians are embarrassed to admit that we have treated people so poorly.