Older Than America Sparknotes

Older than America by Georgina Lightning focus on the lasting effects of the cultural genocide in the residentials schools. The movie based in the Fond Du Lac Reservation in Minnesota, showed First Nations in the community still scarred from the abuse and suffer in the residential schools. Pete Goodfeather a survivor in the residential school, explained the school was made to “try to beat the Indian out of them and half the Indians died in the school. The rest of them are broken, confused, with scars that will never heal.” The residential school had left a scar on everyone, even if they didn’t go to the residential school, like Rain. Rain’s mother went to residential school and now is hospitalized. Rain may not have been in the residential
An example is Luke Peterson, a geologist visiting Fond Du Lac reservation to investigate a earthquake, also saw visions of officer Goodfeather killing himself. Luke Peterson also talked to Pete Goodfeather about the residential school and asked “why haven’t they learnt about the residential school in school”. This revealed how non-aboriginal were not well educated about the past activities that impacted aboriginals and many others. Other non-aboriginal, like the mayor are ignorant to historical globalization as he wants to take down the residential school to build a resort. Paul Gunderson, the mayor is only thinking of the economy as he believes that taking down the school will benefit everyone because it would bring in jobs. Father Bartoli, represented the church in the movie. He showed that the church were trying to hide the terrible actions that were committed in the schools. He would try to block people from knowing the truth by hospitalizing people who report abuse in the school. An example is Rain’s mother. Rain’s mother wasn’t actually crazy, but Father Bartoli made everyone think she is crazy because she wanted people to be aware of the abuse that was happening in the