The Rez Doctor

I want to become a doctor like Esther Tailfeathers, but I don’t think I can do it.
The Rez Doctor is a new graphic novel published by HighWater Press. In this short, fast-paced tale, Gitz Crazyboy—a Siksikaitsitapi (Blackfoot) and Dene author and activist—tells the story of Ryan Fox as he dreams of and works toward becoming a medical doctor in southern Alberta. With the help of illustrators Veronika Barinova, Azby Whitecalf, and Toben Racicot, the author shows the personal and societal obstacles Ryan must confront and overcome to achieve his goal. Though the tone of The Rez Doctor is a little too didactic for this reviewer, many high school readers will find motivation in Ryan’s journey and inspiration in the book’s celebration of self-responsibility and hard work.

Before Ryan’s tale officially begins, Crazyboy and the illustrators present several pages which offer a traditional teaching and some historical context that prepare the reader for the story to come. The traditional teaching is a short meditation on how the land holds stories and will yield knowledge if we listen and see well. This opening meditation is effective as it encourages readers to be receptive listeners and keen observers while following Ryan’s journey. Second, three different medical centres and three different time periods are shown—the Kainai First Nations Tribal Clinic in the present, the Cardston Medical Clinic in the mid-1990s, and the Charles Camsell Indian Hospital during the 1940s. Through the juxtaposition of these places and times—and the depicted events—Ryan’s journey to become a doctor is set within a context of racism and injustice faced by Indigenous People within the field of medicine throughout Alberta’s history. In so doing, the reader is positioned to view Ryan’s success as a positive step for himself and for his larger community.

The story shifts forward from the 1940s to the 1990s and unfolds chronologically until the present. With the groundwork laid, the narrative then reader meets young Ryan and the rest of the Fox family, including his brother, parents, grandparents, and uncle. Ryan’s family is loving and encourages living a good life—working hard, attending ceremony, and supporting each other. Even his uncle, who struggles with alcohol, is a positive and supportive influence in Ryan’s life. During these years, Ryan is shown to be a capable student who is inspired to pursue medicine when a local Blackfoot Doctor, Dr. Esther Tailfeathers, makes a presentation at his school. Despite struggles—like racism and academic setbacks—his family instills in him the belief that he can succeed if he works hard and follows through. In his final year of high school, Ryan applies to and is accepted into the University of Lethbridge.

With this transition to university life, Ryan’s struggles become increasingly serious. Lonely and overwhelmed, Ryan falls prey to partying and alcohol at the expense of his studies. His grades plumet, and his girlfriend, Charm, becomes pregnant. During this difficult time, Ryan’s dream to become a doctor begins to fade. Fortunately, he returns home and receives the personal and spiritual encouragement he needs to complete his journey to become a doctor. With hard work and tenacity, Ryan “see[s] it all the way through”. Herein lies the slight weakness of the book. The story, though inspirational, functions more like a didactic parable, consistently reminding the reader of its message, than as a novel exploring the ambiguities of human experience. Some readers may take comfort in the plot’s explicit message while others may find this directness off-putting.

While The Rez Doctor presents its moral in a straightforward manner, its interesting narrative structure invites contemplation and discussion. Ryan’s tale is told through a circular narrative—beginning in the present, flashing back to the past, and ending in the present where the story began. The opening images show a nervous man sitting in his car outside a medical clinic. Only at the end does the reader understand the significance of these frames. This structure is effective for it activates curiosity and encourages even a reluctant reader to read on to discover who the character is and why he is so distressed. Further, the circular narrative structure reflects the cyclical rather than linear understanding of time. As a result, readers are invited to consider the role of the past on the present and how change in the present can help one heal from the harms of the past.

This idea, and others, is emphasized through Veronika Barinova, Azby Whitecalf, and Toben Racicot’s striking visuals and lettering. The book’s overall visual tone is natural and earthy, with symbolic colouring and angles used at key moments. For example, the flashback scenes, which depict moments of medical abuse, include imposing angles and dark shadows presented in a sepia colour pallet. Throughout the book, the visual and the written text work interdependently; the visuals augment the written content, and the written content elucidates the visual. For example, following a series of frames depicting a community member being gifted a headdress, the illustrators use a splash panel with a large image of a headdress and the words, “That man is proof you can do anything with your life”. In this instance, the image and words work in unison to show and tell the idea that challenges can be overcome. The unity in content and form throughout the book allows the reader to focus on and understand the significance of Ryan’s important journey.

HighWater Press strives to publish “diverse narratives that share joy, creativity, strength, bravery, and community” by Indigenous authors. Through word and image, The Rez Doctor fulfills this mission. In a mere 64 pages, Gitz Crazyboy shows how challenges can be overcome and how dreams can be achieved.

My boy, you can do this. But it’s going to take work. You are smart enough to become anything you want to be, but you have to put in the work and then see it all the way through.