The Third Colour features two ancient spirits who have been reborn repeatedly. With each rebirth, the two must relearn everything, from their own names to basic vocabulary. They must also relearn, and relate to each other through allegorical tales, the history of the land where they find themselves. And this time, the spirits are reborn as two Indigenous women, Agatu and Head Full of Lice, who are forced to revisit the history of Indigenous-settler relations in Canada. Ian Ross employs humour, anger, and a finely-honed sense of the absurd to tackle the colonialism, trauma, and the disconnect between settlers and Indigenous peoples. How do we bridge the two worlds? Or should we? Is it better, Head Full of Lice asks, to burn it all down and start fresh? Or can we, as Agatu hopes, reconcile?
