David Alexander Robertson Analysis

David Alexander Robertson is a Canadian writer who works alongside Scott B. Henderson, an illustrator, to create graphic novels about Residential Schools and Aboriginal history and culture. He comes from a mix of European and Cree heritage, and he has worked as an advocate for Aboriginal youth (Robertson, n.d.). Robertson and his works are respected and valued by prestigious members of the Aboriginal community. In Robertson’s biography, Justice Murray Sinclair is quoted saying, “Dave Robertson’s graphic novels take advantage of an important means of communicating that history to Canada’s youth, especially Aboriginal youth, who have gravitated to this genre [graphic novels]” (David Alexander Robertson, n.d.). As a person, Robertson’s heritage
provide him with the validity of sharing these stories. His choice of communication, the graphic novel, is one that appeals to a growing number of young people. Sugar Falls is a graphic novel that was published in 2012.
The novel follows a high school student named Daniel as he researches Residential Schools for a school assignment. His friend introduces him to her grandmother, Betsy, a Residential Schools survivor. During the interview, Betsy shares about her experiences being kicked out of the house by her mother, a Residential School survivor struggling to cope with the years of trauma. She is cared for by a loving family, but is soon forced to go to Residential School. Betsy was made to feel inferior and she had her culture stripped away (Neegan, 2007, 7). She tells Daniel and her granddaughter of her experiences of physical and emotional abuse and trauma as well as how she found
healing. 7 Generations contains four smaller graphic novels originally published separately but now available in one book. The story opens with a mother, Lauren, walking into her son Edwin’s room to see that he has attempted suicide. In the hospital, she shares the story of two brothers living in the plains around the nineteenth century. Throughout the story, aspects of Aboriginal plains culture and ceremonies are portrayed in both visual and text as the brothers struggle with death and revenge. The second part of the book opens with Edwin and his mother back at home. As Edwin is healing, Lauren tells the story of their people dying of smallpox to encourage him. A young boy is the only survivor of his tribe and family, and he walks for days to find another healthy tribe. The third part of the book introduces Edwin’s father, James. James visits Edwin and tells him about his experiences at Residential School. The book describes the loss of culture as well as the physical and emotional abuse and even alludes to the sexual abuse James’ younger brother experienced. This part ends with an image of James about to whip Edwin in the same way he experienced at Residential School. The fourth part opens with James crying about how he almost beat Edwin. He leaves to find healing so he can be a good parent. The story comes back to present time where James is apologizing to Edwin for taking fifteen years to come back. At the end of the Saga, Edwin finds forgiveness for his father and the two work together to find healing. These graphic novels are an excellent resources due to their content and accessibility. The graphic novels are short and have minimal text, making them an accessible resources for various levels of readers. These books, particularly Sugar Falls, could be used with students as young as grade seven or eight. In a high school classroom, many students could read through one of the novels in a single class period. These books would also be good resources for a classroom with ESL students. These students could read the same book as their peers and get the same content, thus being included in the classroom learning. Furthermore the pictures would help students with minimal English or reading difficulties to grasp the meaning of the book even as they struggle with the words. All of these accessibility features make it easy to use these resources which are rich in content. Sugar Falls contains details of the Residential School experience in a way that is personal, descriptive, and honest. Betsy’s experiences are not as graphic as the ones in 7 Generations making it appropriate for a younger age group. According to Robertson’s website, the book is “based on the true story of Betty Ross, an Elder from Cross Lake First Nations” (Robertson, n.d.). Allowing students to read something based on a true account will help them better appreciate the story and what happened in Canada’s history. 7 Generations includes many topics and themes, including Aboriginal culture and ceremony, spread of European diseases, Residential School experiences, long-lasting consequences of Residential School experiences, family trauma, suicide, death, and healing. Any or all of these themes could be addressed to help paint a broader picture of Aboriginal communities both past and present and help students gain a better understanding of why the Aboriginal community is facing some of its current struggles. Some of these scenes can be difficult to read and may make students emotional, but I believe that providing students with an honest, mostly uncensored version of history will be the most beneficial. These books could be effectively used in either an English or a history classroom.
The English curriculum requires that students read different types of texts, and graphic novels are slowly being incorporated. Due to the historical and social justice perspectives I chose, I will focus on how to use this in a history classroom. In my experiences, Residential Schools are typically taught as a series of facts such as when Residential Schools opened and closed and how many students probably attended. While students learn about Residential Schools, the horror is hard to recognize through this manner of learning. I would use these books as a textbook while discussing Residential Schools. Robertson even includes a free teacher’s resource for classroom use (Robertson, n.d.). As I teach the facts in class and show students documentary clips and bring in other resources, students would read through the books. As we read, students would make connections between the graphic novels and the other materials I present. I appreciate the graphic novels because they do not just deal with the Residential School time, they also show how the schools affect Aboriginal peoples today. I would spend several classes discussing current problems caused by Residential Schools and have students make these connections. I would ask students to pull out images from the graphic novel and add them to the timeline of Aboriginal history, alongside images from the Blanket Exercise. I believe the personal,
story-style of the graphic novels will help students understand and fully absorb the Residential School atrocities in Canada. Students could also be given the opportunity to respond to the text and the author. Robertson lives in Winnipeg, and if given the opportunity to teach this novel I would reach out to the author and invite him to the classroom. I believe students would greatly benefit from hearing how and why Robertson decided to create the novels. They could learn more about Aboriginal history and culture and could also learn about one way to get involved in supporting the Aboriginal community. If Robertson is not available, students could write letters to Robertson asking questions and responding to the emotions they felt as they read. While this would not be as beneficial, it still creates an opportunity for students to think through what they have read and contact someone who is actively making a difference in the Aboriginal community.