Bones of Crows is a tribute to generations of resilient Indigenous women fighting for justice
CBC’s new series, now streaming on CBC Gem, dramatizes their story in a way that’s never been told before
The five-part miniseries, Bones of Crows, led by Dene/Métis filmmaker Marie Clements and now streaming on CBC Gem, takes viewers on a journey through time immemorial, weaving together historical facts to share stories from the perspective of multiple generations. The series unfolds through the eyes of a family of Cree women who have borne the burdens of colonization and spearheaded the resurgence against it. They personify Indigenous women who tirelessly champion human rights, despite the exhaustion and retraumatization they endure, revealing their enduring beauty, persistence and profound resilience.
Bones of Crows follows the strong matrilineal lineage of Aline Spears (played by Summer Testawich, Grace Dove, Carla-Rae), which includes her mother January Spears (Michelle Thrush), her daughter Taylor Wallach (Hope Vissia, Tanaya Beatty, Gail Maurice), and her sister Perseverance Spears (Alyssa Wapanatâhk) and delves into the family's multi-generational struggles while celebrating their profound love and connection. It offers a glimpse into the lived experience of many Indigenous families in Canada, where they endured a lack of human rights but never lost hope for a brighter future.
The legacy of Canada's residential school system
The residential school system was key to tearing apart Indigenous families. At the core of Bones of Crows lies the painful history of Canada's residential schools, which continued for 150 years, affecting some 150,000 children who were mandated to attend. Indigenous women like January Spears were pressured to surrender their children and comply with this system. The series explores the agonizing decisions made by those who resisted attendance, the heart-wrenching loss experienced by the community as their children were taken away, and the trauma suffered by survivors of the abuse they endured.
Much like Aline Spears, who works as a code talker in World War II in the series, many Indigenous women served in the Canadian military during times of war, working for the same government that took their children. Indigenous people enlisted at a higher percentage than whites and other ethnic minority groups, with thousands participating in the First and Second World Wars.
Upon their return, Indigenous vets found themselves with nowhere to call home due to disenfranchisement, after being promised land, money and rights for their service. In Bones of Crows, the trauma of war and residential schools reverberates in Aline's marriage to Adam (played by Phillip Forest Lewitski).
While their relationship begins with promise and love, it is not enough to overcome these experiences; their marriage comes to a tragic end with his suicide.
Thousands of Indigenous women disappeared all over Canada for decades, tearing families apart
Like the real-life families of an estimated 4,000 women in Canada, the Spears family is also struck by the epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG). In a heartbreaking scene, Aline Spears scans the newspaper looking for her sister Perseverance among the photos of the disappeared. Today, Indigenous women march each year through Vancouver's Downtown Eastside to raise awareness of this national tragedy.
The fictional Spears family is further rocked by The Sixties Scoop when Aline's sister, Perseverance, is imprisoned and her children taken into care, never to see their mother again. Indigenous women are overrepresented in the prison system, which is another state tool to thwart family unity in Indigenous communities. And many Indigenous children are still in the grasp of a foster care system that continues to leave scars. Like the women who march for MMIWG, we see women like Gitxsan activist Cindy Blackstock rising up to address this in the real world. She advocates for the rights of Indigenous children and families' access to education, medical care, and resources, in the same way the founders of the Native Sisterhood did a generation before her.
Uncovering the secrets of a painful past means enduring intergenerational pain
Generations of Indigenous women have taken action to address the violence inflicted on their families and communities. Aline's daughter Taylor is similarly inspired to seek justice for her mother, her elders and her people who went to residential schools. In her capacity as a lawyer, and as a member of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), she uncovers painful secrets of the past.
Her journey takes her family to the Vatican, seeking an apology from the Pope and bravely exposing a long-time abuser in the clergy. Through her advocacy, she finally understands the extent and nature of her mother's pain.
For many Indigenous activists, seeking justice means enduring proximity to intergenerational pain. Real-life truth-seeker Kimberly Murray, a member of the Kahnesatake Mohawk Nation, is the Independent Special Interlocutor for Missing Children and Unmarked Graves and Burial Sites associated with Indian Residential Schools. She is uncovering the truth, fighting for justice, the release of church records and for those in power to intercede.
Bones of Crows is a powerful testament to the resilience of Indigenous women, reflecting the federal government's efforts to destroy and displace the roles of Indigenous women (and men) in the community through the process of forced assimilation. It celebrates the unwavering strength of matriarchs in the face of adversity, underscoring their remarkable ability to rise above intergenerational trauma and oppression while fighting for justice.
Woven amidst a story of pain and loss are threads of reconciliation and hope. A poignant portrait of a fictional family's struggle to survive, thrive, and maintain their culture, language, and internal light, to pass it on to future generations, against all odds, this story pays tribute to the real-life matriarchs who have shaped the history of Canada and continue to inspire us all.
Watch Bones of Crows free on CBC Gem now.
CBC Gem is available for free as an App for iOS, tvOS, Fire TV, Android TV, Android phones and tablets, LG and Samsung Smart TVs, Roku, and Xbox One/S/X and online at gem.cbc.ca.
If you need help please call the IRSSS National helpline at 1-866-925-4419. Help is available 24/7 and this number can be called from countries outside of Canada.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
