The Effect of Postcolonial Trauma on Familial Relationships in Tomson Highway’s Kiss of the Fur Queen

Abstract

This thesis argues that the development of intergenerational and intergenerational relationships in Tomson Highway’s novel Kiss of the Fur Queen, a semi-autobiographical work which follows two Cree brothers, Champion and Ooneemeetoo Okimasis living inCanada, is greatly disrupted by the acculturation and christianization of the indigenous peoples. Previous research on the novel has focused on the brothers’ trauma recovery and reconnection to their Cree heritage. Through analyzing the key moments in the novel by using close reading, modern trauma theory and postcolonial trauma theory, this thesis argues that the intergenerational and intragenerational relationships in the novel are greatly affected by the acculturation and christianization experienced by both the brothers and their parents, as the physical and cultural separation of children from their family and community causes long-lasting damage to the emotional and mental connection between generations. The brothers, while close in their childhood, drift apart from one another during their adolescence and adulthood as they interpret and understand the traumatic experiences of their childhood differently, which causes conflict between them. Meanwhile the brothers’ relationship with their parents is conflicted due to the physical separation between the family when the brothers attended residential school and which causes Champion and Ooneemeetoo to feel disconnected from their family and Cree community.