Denise Lajimodiere finally obtains her father’s file from the Chemawa Indian School near Salem, Oregon. Through this journey she and her father come to learn more about the history and the impacts of boarding school on Native Americans. Lajimodiere understands how trauma can be passed through generations, and her father, after viewing the documentary In the White Man’s Image, realizes the goal of boarding school was complete cultural genocide and assimilation. Previously he was unsure why he was forced to attend boarding school, had his hair shaved, was beaten for speaking Cree, and had to practice Christianity at school.
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Lajimodiere, D. (2012). A Healing Journey. Wicazo Sa Review 27(2), 5-19. University of Minnesota Press. Retrieved July 11, 2018, from Project MUSE database.