Ka'kwet (2024)

Ka'kwet is a young member of theMi'kmaqpeople. She is portrayed byKiawenti:io Tarbell.

Appearance and Personality[]

Ka'kwet wears her dark long hair in two braids, intertwined with hair ties in which colorful beads and small feathers are strung. After entering the residential school, her hair is cut off into a bob to resemble a pious, Christian child.

Ka'kwet has a friendly and curious personality. She loves her family very much, but after being constantly drilled at residential school not to act like a "stupid Indian", she is seen struggling with her heritage.

Story[]

Ka'kwet is first introduced when she and her father Aluk appear at a local hockey game, where he sells hockey sticks to the boys. This is where she meets Anne, and also experiences rudeness and racism from Billy Andrews, though her father teaches her to ignore it.

Anne and Ka'kwet soon forge a special relationship as kindred spirits. When Anne visits the village, they admire each others' accessories which they trade - Anne's scarf for Ka'kwet's hair beads.

News of a residential school in Halifax reaches Avonlea, and Ka'kwet is excited about the possibility of attending school as Anne tells her how wonderful it can be. Her parents argue about the dangers of school and they ways Ka'kwet may lose her heritage from a white education. Despite this, Ka'kwet is allowed to go. Before leaving on the train, Anne gifts Ka'kwet her beautiful green dress, with puffed sleeves that Matthew Cuthbert had bought for Anne back in season two, much to her delight.

Ka'kwet spends several months in a residential school for the children of indigenous Canadians. While her parents Aluk and Oqwatnuk believe that she is having a positive experience in school, in reality Ka'kwet is experiencing physical abuse and ethnocide in residential school. She is forbidden from speaking her native language, forbidden to leave, and is physically abused under the strict rules. She is required to learn English and practice Christianity in an effort to "kill the Indian, but save the child".

She briefly manages to escape the institution but is captured and brought back. She escapes by sneaking onto the undercarriage of the milkman's cart, then stowing away on the ferry back to Prince Edward Island, making the rest of the journey to her village on foot. When she returns, her mother Oqwatnuk notices Ka'kwet showing signs of psychological trauma, especially when she has an outburst at her younger sibling, calling him a "stupid Indian" and telling him to speak English.

Ka'kwet's escape from school doesn't last long, as government officials soon raid the Mi'kmaq camp and abduct her. She returns to the residential school and can hear the conflict outside when her parents, along with Anne and Matthew, try to get her out. Her parents remain behind so that they can camp near the school and continue trying to get her out.

Later, Father Beck arrives on horse, along with a few others, and demand that Ka'kwets parents leave their grounds. While this is happening, Ka'kwet is shown yelling out for her parents, but her cries fall on deaf ears. Her parents leave the school grounds, promising one another to camp close by in order to save their child.

Unfortunately, this is the last that we see of Ka'kwet and her family. We do not know what happens afterwards, as the show comes to an end at season three, but if we were to follow the historical timeline realisticaly, we can come to the conclusion that Ka'kwet did not survive the residential school.

Relationships[]

Anne Shirley-Cuthbert[]

Ka'kwet meets Anne in A Secret Which I Desired To Desire. Her father is selling hockey sticks to the boys at an ice pool. When Anne sees the two Mi'kmaq people, she's curious and asks if she can do an article for the newspaper about them and their sticks. Ka'kwet gives her instructions on how to get to the village, and Anne says the instructions sound "like a poetic paradise." When Ka'kwet and her dad leave, it's clear Ka'kwet has taken a liking to Anne.

Later that day, Anne arrives at the village. Ka'kwet greets her, and Anne introduces her to Belle - the horse she rode there on. Anne asks what Ka'kwet's name is, and Ka'kwet tells her, her name meaning "Sea Star" in English. Anne say's she's just "plain old Anne", to which Ka'kwet tells her that if she could choose a name for Anne it would be Melkita'ulamun - strong and brave heart. Anne declares she loves the name and the two girls continue talking. Ka'kwet shows her around the village and Anne collects a lot of information about the Mi'kmaq people. Ka'kwet introduces Anne to her family, and Anne greets them happily. Ka'kwet compliments Anne's scarf, and Anne says she loves Ka'kwet's hair ties. They decide to trade, and Ka'kwet braids Anne's hair with the hair ties. While her hair is being braided, Anne asks Ka'kwet to teach her more of her language. By the time Anne leaves, she has made a new friend.

Later, when Ka'kwet is leaving for the religious school, Anne comes to see her off and gives her one of her old dresses, which Ka'kwet loves. Anne tries to visit Ka'kwet at the school, but is told she cannot see her yet.

When Ka'kwet's parents go to the Cuthbert's house to tell them what happened, Anne quickly decides to help them and convinces Mathew and Marilla to help. When Anne, Mathew, Aluk, and Oqwatnuk arrive at the school, they are threatened and told to leave. Ka'kwet's parents decide to camp out at the school to see if they can get their daughter back. Anne wants to too, but Mathew tells her they need to go home and can home back in a couple weeks to try again.

Though the two girls are never reunited, it's clear that Anne won't rest until she can save her friend.

Appearances[]

Season 3

• Ep. 1: "A Secret Which I Desired to Divine"
• Ep. 3: "What Can Stop the Determined Heart"
• Ep. 4: "A Hope of Meeting You in Another World"
• Ep. 9: "A Dense and Frightful Darkness"

Notes[]

• Ka'kwet's name means "sea star"
• She loves to weave, with her favorite style being jikiji’j.

Gallery[]

References[]