Hammered: Understanding Colonialism as an Assault

The image of the dismembered doll, the hammer, and pieces of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms represents the literal and metaphorical assault on Indigenous women’s bodies by all levels of government, as well as the intergenerational affects of colonialism. The “discarded” pieces of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms represent the deliberate obliteration of Aboriginal peoples by policy makers, government officials, and citizens.