Chapters
1-3
1-3
Who kept and protected Bev Sellars as a child the most? (Chapter 1)
Gram | Her grandmother
Which day of the week was movie night on if the kids weren't punished? (Chapter 6)
It was on Saturday.
Despite the summer of 1967 seeing aboriginal children being able to go to school from home, an event in Bev's family turned that summer into a sad one. What was the event in question? (Chapter 9)
Her grandfather, Xp'7e7 passed away because of a heart attack.
During the justice inquiry against the RCMP, the RCMP handed over something over to the side of the aboriginal people. What was that thing, and how did the aboriginal people react? (Chapter 12)
The RCMP handed over a poem as a big joke, but due to its racist attitude, it outraged the aboriginal people.
What is the mission that Bev gave herself? (Chapter 14)
Her mission was to make more of her people realize that they can live and not just survive.
What did Bev Sellars want to become in the Future? What was her inspiration for this dream? (Chapter 2)
Bev Sellars wanted to become a nurse because she admired the kind, blonde-haired nurse called miss Costello, since she seemed to actually care about Bev and the other childrens.
What is the evolution of the state of the food at the Mission from Bev's grandmother, to her mother, to herself? (Chapter 5)
The food was always rotten through each generation of Bev Sellars' family.
Compare the chores Bev and her family had at home compared to those they had at the mission (Chapter 8)
At home, they only had minor chores to do that would be expected from a child, while at the mission they did a majority of the work.
She couldn't become a nurse because she wasn't in the academics program and she should've taken science courses since grade nine.
What type of degree did Bev Sellars get from the University of British Columbia? (Chapter 13)
She received a law degree from that university.
Bev Sellars, after learning to read the real time, told the nun what the time was, instead of the position of the hands on the clock. How did the nun react to this? (Chapter 3)
The nun looked at Bev with disgust and yelled at her to go back downstairs to see where the hands are and tell them the position of the hands.
Why do children prefer the strap instead of kneeling to pray? (Chapter 4)
They prefer the strap because the pain is temporary and goes away faster, while kneeling starts to hurt their knees during the third and fourth "Hail Mary".
At the psychotherapist, Bev had electrode points on her fingers and the electric current burned her skin for being too high. Why did she not take off the electrodes? (Chapter 7)
The years at the residential school got her to endure pain and not go any White authority figures.
How many childrens did Bev Sellars raise in her family? And how many are her biological childrens? (Chapter 11)
She raised three childrens, two of which are birthed from her, the other one was legally adopted from her sister Teena.
Why did Bev Sellars not run as chief for the next election? (Chapter 13)
Bev used to dream of going to university but she didn't think it would ever happen because of her family and community commitments, but the opportunity of university came in 1993. Their community had an election for chief and council in April, which she decided to not attend to.
How did Ray trick Bev into not going to a hunting trip? (Chapter 1)
He first tried to get her off by having her fetch her coat, and then when they went on a small fake-hunt, they turned back and when Ray said he would take the saddle of the horse off in the barn while Bev was inside, he went away on his actual hunting trip.
What did the children's recite during the nightly prayer? (Chapter 4)
10 decades from the rosary
How did Gram prepare for Christmas? (Chapter 8)
A few days in advance, Gram rations out orange candies and drinks. After supper, the childrens sit around the table while they wait for her to bring the treats. Gram also made Christmas cake using a small bottle of rum.
How does Bev reflect on their parenting style? (Chapter 11)
Bev regrets their strict and emotionally distant parenting style, which they describe as "missionary style". They acknowledge that this approach involved expecting their children to behave like adults despite being young.
What are things in life that are certain according to Bev in this chapter? (Chapter 14)
Bev always reminds people that there is one more thing in life that is certain other than death and taxes. And that is that first Nation people will always be in our/their territories.
What happened to the aboriginal childrens as soon as they arrived at St. Joseph's mission? (Chapter 3) [Name 4 actions]
As soon as they arrived, they took a shower, were given dry underclothes and their hair hair was cut and sprayed with DDT pesticide, finally they were assigned a number.
When Bev asked Gram for a word, she replied with "Aloo", which word was translated and why? (Chapter 4)
She asked what the word grandmother was in Carrier because her daughter was pregnant and she didn't want to feel old, however the real word was Mother, due to a mistranslation.
Why did some students become jealous of Bev and their friends at public school? (Chapter 9)
Some students became jealous because Bev and their friends brought deer meat and moose meat from the mission to exchange for a small amount of money or something else they might have.
What realization does Bev have about beer? (Chapter 10)
Bev has a wake-up call when they reach for a beer without thinking, which serves as a warning sign. This lack of self-awareness makes them conscious of their drinking habits and the harmful impact of alcohol consumption in their community.
What did Bev Sellars compare the aboriginal people with? Explain the comparison. (Chapter 14)
She compares the Aboriginal people to a computer with a virus, because the Aboriginal people were taught in a destructive manner by the residential schools and non-Aboriginal institutions, making them unable to function at full capacity, like a computer with a virus.