Indigenous Youth Navigating Intergenerational Trauma, Structural Violence, and Relationships in Urban Contexts

Indigenous youth are a dynamic yet vulnerable group that must navigate the complex webs of culture, identity, and institutionalized violence against them. They represent survival and Indigenous futures based on self-determination, resilience, and social continuity. This research investigates how these native young adults confront and negotiate structural violence, intergenerational trauma, and identity within the urban environment through the indigenous graphic lens of Tasha Spillett’s Surviving The City and Patti LaBoucane-Benson’s The Outside Circle. Generally, graphic literature is illustrated stories that combine visuals and dialogue in a sequential pattern to explore themes and convey the meaning effectively. In particular, Indigenous graphic novels utilize plots deeply rooted in their culture to highlight Native perspectives, histories, and worldviews. The author weaves the narrative space by integrating ancient knowledge with modern concerns, such as resistance, identity, and colonization. The visual storytelling portrays youth as carriers of identity, gender diversity, and community-based values, making these depictions challenge the misrepresentation of Indigenous realities in the mainstream media. Therefore, the medium turns into a potent tool for collective healing and heritage reclamation. The ultimate objective of this study is to critically analyse how Indigenous youth encounter and react to systemic oppression and inherited trauma in urban settings, emphasizing how their identities, relationships, and cultural expressions, particularly through graphic narratives, serve as avenues for healing, resilience, and resistance.