Tobanshankwut Surviving The Survivor Analysis

Throughout the story of Tobansonakwut in the video "Surving the Survivor" by the journalist Wab Kinew, Tobansonakwut’s decision to change his name from Peter Kelly to his Ojibway name, Tobansonakwut, is significant because it helps him to reclaim his Ojibway identity, separate him from his childhood trauma, and model pride in his culture for the following generations. First, by renaming himself as his original one, Tobansonakwut, he confirms his Ojibway identity which was taken away when he went to St. Mary’s Residential School at age of 7. To illustrate, when Tobansonakwut first came to the residential school and “in an attempt to get rid of his Anishinabe language and heritage, the priest, who registered him, renamed him … Peter Kelly” (“Surviving

In addition, he wants to distance himself from his forgettable and depressing memories which he had with that English name, Peter Kelly. For example, Wab Kinew and his father narrate about Tobansonakwut’s story that “when he was nine years old, one of his teachers, a nun, called him to her bedroom … jumped on top of [Tobansonakwut], [and] began humping him” (“Surviving the Survivor”). Moreover, when Tobansonakwut graduated from the residential school at the age 15, he began to abuse alcohol to “escape his confusion and pain” which he experienced from all the days at the residential school (“Surviving the Survivor”). All that haunting memories went along with his English name, because of that ignoring that name is a huge step forward of Tobansonakwut to forget all the old days and begin the new chapter of his life, the chapter in which Tobansonakwut can live his life without any torture and believe in whatever he wants