Seven Fallen Feathers

The bestselling investigation Seven Fallen Feathers by Tanya Talaga is a profound exploration of grief, resilience, and systemic injustice faced by Indigenous communities in Canada. The book begins with the haunting death of Chanie Wenjack in 1966, a twelve-year-old boy who perished after escaping the horrors of a residential school. His death triggered an inquest with four poignant recommendations aimed at preventing such tragedies, recommendations that tragically went unheeded.

Fast-forward to the span between 2000 and 2011 in Thunder Bay, Ontario—another set of tragic occurrences unfolds. Seven Indigenous high school students, each forced to leave their family hundreds of miles away to pursue education, died under suspicious circumstances. These students found themselves in an alien and often hostile environment. Five of them were discovered in the ominous rivers around Lake Superior, beneath a site sacred to Indigenous people.

Among these heart-wrenching stories is that of Jordan Wabasse, a promising hockey player who vanished into the freezing night, and Kyle Morrisseau, whose lifeless body was pulled from the river. Similarly, the cases of Curran Strang, Robyn Harper, and Paul Panacheese add to this tapestry of sorrow—each young life ending abruptly and raising more questions than answers.

The narrative crescendos with the death of Reggie Bushie, which eventually led to an overdue inquest. This was prompted by the findings seven years prior of Jethro Anderson's body, the first in this series of deaths. These tragic incidents shattered communities and sparked a demand for long-overdue justice and systemic change.

In Seven Fallen Feathers, Tanya Talaga, an acclaimed investigative journalist, meticulously investigates the complexities and harsh realities of this northern city. Through a sweeping and intimate narrative, she delves into Canada’s dark history of human rights abuses against Indigenous communities. Talaga not only chronicles the tragic deaths of these seven teenagers but also situates their stories within the broader, painful context of colonialism, revealing a pattern of neglect and hostility faced by Indigenous people globally.

This book is not merely an examination of past and present injustices; it is also a call to acknowledge and rectify these ongoing atrocities. By giving voice to those who have been silenced and marginalized, Seven Fallen Feathers aspires to ignite a collective movement towards reconciliation and genuine equity for all Indigenous communities.