Warning Signs In 'Utiqtuq' By Gayle Kabloona

James Russell Lowell once said, “One thorn of experience is worth a whole wilderness of warning”. One faces numerous choices and obstacles as one navigates life. Each decision made creates a barrier of warning for the following one; some lead to better paths than others, but the one thing that never changes in these circumstances is how one thinks. People either listen to their heart or head, never both. Through a story taking place in a zombie apocalypse, the short story “Utiqtuq” by Gayle Kabloona conveys a responsibility of acknowledging warning signs by drawing strong parallels between traumatic historical events of Indigenous peoples and demonstrates powerful symbolism to foreshadow the unfortunate outcome of the story.
Firstly, “Utiqtuq’’

Bridging the gap between past and present gives a powerful understanding of what is to come in Aliisa’s life. Dr. English explains to Ittuq and Aliisa that “All survivors of the pandemic must be relocated to regional treatment centres set up around the country. It was communicated that some Inuit went back to the land to escape the infection” (9-10). This relates to the idea of history repeating itself that was expressed earlier. Children were taken away to be re-educated and integrated into a white society through residential schools. The term "Utiqtuq" (He/She Returns) refers to the "returning" of assimilation and residential school-like conditions in these so-called regional treatment centres. If these regional treatment centres are regarded as residential schools, then “some Inuit went back to the land to escape the infection” can effectively reflect the idea of indigenous children attempting to escape the schools to avoid having to stay in such a location where they were mistreated. Aliisa, unlike Ittuq, makes decisions without fully comprehending the consequences and decides to go with the doctor. As she collects her things to bring, the doctor questions one of her