Where Wolves Don't Die

The historical trauma inflicted upon Indigenous peoples by the Canadian Indian residential school system provides essential context for the novel’s exploration of family, loss, and resilience. From the 1880s until the late 20th century, more than 150,000 First Nations, Métis, and Inuit children attended residential schools in Canada, many after being forcibly separated from their families. These schools were generally funded by the federal government and operated by churches. The system’s goal was forced assimilation, often expressed as a mission to “kill the Indian in the child” (“Statement of Apology to Former Students of Indian Residential Schools.” Government of Canada, 11 June 2008). Children were forbidden to speak their languages and suffered widespread abuse, neglect, and disease, resulting in thousands of deaths. In the novel, Grandpa Liam reveals the destructive impact of this system on his own family, explaining how two of his children, Ethan and Olivia, were taken to the Brandon Indian Residential School in Manitoba and never returned. This real-world school, operated from 1895 to 1972, has been the subject of investigations into burial grounds and unmarked graves associated with the institution (“Brandon Indian Residential School Cemeteries Project.