There are all kinds of symbolism in the dynamic of the Father, the nun, and Teonna that parallels with the historic treatment of Natives. Father Renaud acts with impunity because he’s the one with mandated power, a power that’s kept in place through fear and violence. He instills fear in the nun, as well as the rest of his staff and the students through the threat of capital punishment. Meanwhile, all of his students aren’t white, and with the religious and racist zealotry of a 1920s Catholic he and his administration punish the girls more because of their brown skin than anything else.

Source: https://www.distractify.com/p/who-plays-teonna-1923