Quote by Terese Marie Mailhot: “My culture is my armor and my undoing.”

This poignant statement captures the complex relationship with one's heritage, especially for Indigenous individuals. It means that while culture provides strength, protection, and identity, it can also be a source of pain, conflict, or struggle due to historical and ongoing oppression.

This reflects Mailhot's experience as an Indigenous woman navigating personal and historical trauma within her cultural context, as explored in 'Heart Berries.' It speaks to the dual nature of cultural belonging—both a source of profound strength and a connection to collective suffering—amidst efforts for Indigenous cultural revitalization.

Canadian author and member of the Seabird Island Band whose memoir Heart Berries became a bestseller and was praised for its radical formal innovation and emotional honesty. She writes about Indigenous experience, trauma, and motherhood with compressed, visceral prose.