The Flesh of Ice

Overview

The Secwépemc term le estcwicwe´y? (the missing) was given by Secwépemc elders who dedicated their knowledge and time to guide the community through the hell they were forced to endure in May 2021. Garry Gottfriedson’s The Flesh of Ice picks up the thread of his 2021 collection, Bent Back Tongue, describing the history and relationship of Indigenous people in Canada with the Canadian government and the Catholic church. Here is the story of those who survived Kamloops Indian Residential School (KIRS), and stories of descendants of KIRS who remembered "the missing” in the wake of the discovery of unmarked graves at the KIRS. Here, in hauntingly visceral poems, are the living conditions, policies and practices of the school itself, the stories of those who lived there, and the names of practitioners of the school, called out and cursed. Lastly, personal stories are given space to reclaim the narrative, taking readers on a journey of resilience, survival, pain and joy.

Author Biography

Garry Gottfriedson is from Kamloops, BC, an is strongly rooted in his Secwépemc (Shuswap) cultural teachings. Gottfriedson has thirteen published books, including Skin Like Mine, Clinging to Bone, and, most recently, Bent Back Tongue, and has presented his work across Canada, United States, South America, New Zealand, Europe, and Asia. His work has been anthologized and published nationally and internationally. Gottfriedson’s work unapologetically unveils the truth of Canada’s treatment of First Nations.