The Outside Circle

Content Warning: This section of the guide discusses violence, substance abuse, and abuse of Indigenous people.

Drawing on the author’s extensive research in Indigenous healing and her personal healing journey, The Outside Circle delves into the profound issue of intergenerational trauma within Indigenous communities. By doing so, the novel also sheds light on the enduring legacy of colonialism, demonstrating that colonialism is the root cause of this trauma and highlighting the disproportionate number of Aboriginal men in the criminal justice system.

Pete Carver, the main character of the novel, serves as a poignant representation of the profound impact of intergenerational trauma. His involvement in gang activities and his propensity for violence and aggression paint a vivid picture of the challenges faced by many Indigenous individuals in Canada. He symbolically wears a mask to hide his true self—to “hurt other people and feel nothing” (95). His family, like many other Indigenous families in Canada, was torn apart by colonialism: His mother was forcibly separated from her parents, and her life took a tragic turn into poverty and addiction, ultimately resulting in her death. On Page 34, LaBoucane-Benson uses statistics, such as “23% of Aboriginal youth drop out of high school” (34), to illustrate the issues faced by Aboriginal people in modern-day Canada: unemployment, poverty, racism, undereducation, and more. The novel shows that these injustices and hardships are a consequence of historical trauma that perpetuates more trauma, creating a vicious cycle.

The In Search of Your Warrior Program aims at healing this deeply rooted trauma. Elder Violet talks about carrying her own intergenerational trauma, but she has found a way out and is helping people do the same. Through visualization and role play exercises, she provides the participants with tools to comprehend the origins of their trauma. She asks them to picture a time when Indigenous tribes lived peacefully, “grateful there [were] so many wild animals” (48), and contrasts it with the devastating consequences of colonization. Ancestral lands were forcibly seized, and children, Violet explains, were taken away from their parents to be put in residential schools. The trauma that they experienced then continued to be perpetuated through generations. Through the family tree exercise, Violet emphasizes the vital importance of understanding one’s family history as a means to break free from the cycle of intergenerational trauma. This exercise allows the men to create connections between their own experiences and the trauma of their ancestors.

With the use of statistics, personal narratives, and the wisdom dispensed by Elder Violet, LaBoucane-Benson illustrates the devastating aftermath of colonialism and its role in creating intergenerational trauma. The author conveys that the addiction and violence that many Indigenous people grapple with are direct consequences of the historical injustices inflicted upon them by colonial forces.