Although living in a government settlement introduces the english language and other unique things to Maata and the Inuit people, it is actually tearing away the strong connections of their community. Maata and the Inuit community are introduced and force-feed the ways of the white people, or “Qallunaat” in Inuktitut, instead of practicing the ways of her own Inuit people. First and foremost, the youth of Maata’s community are all obligated to go to a residential school and learn the english language from their teacher Mr. Sanders and are not allowed to speak their native language in class, which creates mixed feelings between Maata and the other Inuit children in the community. Introduced in the 1880’s, government-sponsored residential schools…show more content… The children had to live in extremely poor conditions, as they were forced to cut their hair, given poor quality food, isolated from their parents and were often sexually assaulted. The extremely poor living conditions combined with the isolation from their families created separation between the aboriginal children and their communities. Being of inuit descent, Maata was forced to go to a residential school and had to go through the rough living conditions and separation from her family as the other aboriginal children did. The introduction of the english language is strange and confusing to all the Inuit children, everyone except for Maata, who finds english fascinating and enjoyable. Before she even goes to school, she meets a old Inuit women named Siaja who starts to teach her the english language, giving her a head start before all the other students. She works hard at school and quickly becomes her teacher’s favorite student, as she says “Thanks to Siaja, I was more advanced than the others, and I soon became the teacher’s…show more content… They bully her for her passion in english, describing her experience as “A boy stepped forward and tried to pull the book and paper from my arms, but I fought back. Then another pushed me down into the snow and held me there, pressing his hands down on my arms. A boy opened my precious book and pretended to read, mocking me in the way I read before the class, and they all started laughing” (Sullivan 72). The residential school that Maata attends has opened a rift in her community, as the children are bullying and mocking all the students who are successful in school. Conflict and opposition has been created in a culture that values treating others like family, which affects the bonds that the community shares and it is all due to the introduction of the english language. Introducing the english language and forcefully removing the native language of Maata and the other Inuit children has left the children confused, conflicted and angry. Educating these children only about Euro-Canadian culture and excluding their traditions and language creates rifts within the community, leaving Maata to feel ashamed, isolated and
