A few weekends ago I watched the movie Rez Ball on Netflix, produced by LeBron James. (I have a few spoilers in this post, so if you want to watch it first then read my post that might be a good idea!) Rez Ball is a true story, that follows Jimmy Holiday as he steps up and leads the Chuska Warriors basketball team after his best friend and captain, Nataanii Jackson, tragically dies by suicide. With the help of their coach, Heather, the team wins the state championship and pays tribute to Nataanii’s legacy. (Fun fact: the actress who plays Coach Heather is Métis and from the Edmonton area!)

While watching the movie I noticed how it displays the daily struggles Indigenous people face, such as racism, poverty, and other harmful stereotypes. However, the film also has powerful messages of hope, victory, and resilience. Something that stood out to me as I watched the movie was generational trauma, and the significant impact it has. Jimmy’s mother, who was a basketball star in her youth, never attends any of Jimmy's games, which deeply hurts him. In one scene, she watches him practice basketball in their driveway and makes a negative comment—something that may have been said to her during her own career. This negative statement sticks in Jimmy’s mind, and it almost feels like he starts to believe what his mother has said to him. However, Jimmy overcomes the negativity from his mother's words and leads his team to victory! This made me reflect on generational trauma and its impact on today’s Indigenous communities. Jimmy’s mother had a negative experience during her basketball career, and she seems to believe the same will happen to her son. Whether she realizes it or not, her attitude and words are having a negative effect on Jimmy’s confidence. She might be just trying to protect him from what she experienced in her youth, but this attempt at protection ends up doing harm.

I did a bit of research and learned that generational trauma is the never ending emotional and psychological wounds passed down through generations. A few years ago when I lived in Edmonton I took a Cree language class that was taught by a Cree lady who survived residential school. She not only taught me about the Cree language but also about their culture and traditions. She would often talk about the harm that came from colonization, and assimilation, which hurt their language and culture. The harm that was done to Indigenous cultures creates cycles of grief, addiction, mental health challenges, and loss of cultural identity, which reinforces generational trauma in Indigenous communities. I could see how these patterns of generational trauma were in the movie Rez Ball, however, I also saw how the chains of generational trauma were broken when Jimmy led his team, and created a hopeful future for himself! I recommend watching this movie!