The Birchbark House
The Birchbark House is a 1999 indigenous juvenile realistic fiction novel by Louise Erdrich, and is the first book in a five book series known as The Birchbark series. The story follows the life of Omakayas and her Ojibwe community beginning in 1847 near present-day Lake Superior. The Birchbark House has received rave reviews and was a 1999 National Book Award Finalist for young people's fiction.[1]
| Author | Louise Erdrich |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Series | "The Birchbark Series" |
Publication date | 1999 |
Published in English | 1999 |
| Followed by | The Game of Silence (2006) The Porcupine Year (2008) Chickadee(2012) Makoons (2016) |
After the prologue, the novel continues through the eyes of a seven-year-old young girl, Omakayas ("her name means "little frog" because her first step was a hop). The circular motion of the Ojibwa culture is represented through the motions of the four seasons, Neebin (summer), Dagwaging (fall). Biboon (winter), and Zeegwun (spring). The community in each season works together to hunt, build, gather, and survive. Omakayas cares for her family because she knew that with the winter comes a smallpox epidemic. She learns about her connection to all nature, and discovers her gift of dreams. The most important thing Omakayas learns about herself is why she didn't get smallpox when most everyone in the community did. She has three siblings, Neewo (Who dies from the disease smallpox), Little Pinch(later changed to Big Pinch) and Angeline.
The novel includes decorative pencil drawings, as well as a map of the Ojibwa community, and a glossary of Ojibwa language translations.[2]
Characters
One of the central themes of Erdrich's novel is community. There are many characters in The Birchbark House. The following are the characters most of the novel is centered on.
Omakayas is one of the main characters of 'The Birchbark House'. She is usually very calm and not scared easily. She is a gentle, friendly girl, but only if somebody else is friendly to her. She seems very active, but inside her heart, she is hiding her painful mind. Omakayas is very friendly and has a connection to animals.
Nokomis – The maternal grandmother of Omakayas. She lives with Omakayas and her family. She is very talented and knowledgeable about healing. She lends her knowledge of the land to Omakayas through mentoring her as well as through magnificent storytelling.
Yellow Kettle – Omakayas's mother is a strong woman who does not often display her anger, but at times her anger pours out. She is the one who keeps the family structure intact while Deydey is traveling.
Deydey – Omakayas's father is mixed race, half white and half Ojibwa. He is a trader who is gone trading during some of the novel. He has a strong personality tempered by moments of tenderness and care.
Neewo - Omakayas's baby brother who Omakayas loves very much. She often pretends that Neewo is her own baby. Neewo prefers Omakayas to his other siblings. Dies in the smallpox epidemic.
Angeline – Omakayas's sister whom Omakayas loves and sees as a role model. She is known in the community for her beauty and her excellent skills in beading.
Pinch – Omakayas's younger brother whom Omakayas loves. As his sister, Omakayas sees the flaws in his character, such as his laziness. Pinch is also something of a trickster, often using his wits to get out of undesirable tasks. Omakayas does not enjoy Pinch.
Fishtail - Ten Snow's husband and Deydey's friend. He also is one of the members in the community who is learning to read the tracks of the whites. In other words, he is attempting to learn the English alphabet to better aid communication and treaty negotiations with the whites.
Ten Snow – Friend of the family, Angeline's best friend, dies in the smallpox epidemic. Wife of Fishtail.
Old Tallow – Woman of great authority in the community. Omakayas understands she is one of the only children Old Tallow respects. When the family and community are suffering through the smallpox epidemic she steps up to help the community survive the rough winter. Also, she has a love for her dogs as much as her community but is able to punish the dogs when they behave poorly.
Andeg – Omakayas's pet crow that she discovers as injured and nurtures back to health. Andeg provides much of the humor throughout the novel. Through Andeg, readers have a sense of the connection Omakayas has with animals. Andeg is the Ojibwe word for crow.
LaPautre
Themes
Culture- The Birchbark House provides a lot of information Ojibwe cultural practices, as seen in the description of Omakayas working, stretching, and cleaning a buffalo hide: She struggles with the task at first, but uses her emotions to help her continue the work and ends up with one of the best hides she has ever worked with. Through the rest of the novel this very special hide is used to make things, like moccasins.
Language- Language is a second prevalent theme within this novel. The language is either conveyed through direct translation or inserted within a sentence. An example of this is the storytelling. Nokomis and Deydey are two of the characters who tell stories. According to Sabra McIntosh, “They pass on family history, folklore, superstitions and customs. Nokomis tells stories in the cold of winter. Deydey tells stories whenever he is home usually about his travels. The family and especially the children relish story telling time. We know from the author’s notes that Ojibwa was a spoken, not written, language. Their history and identity survives through such storytelling.”[3]
References
- "2009 National Book Awards Winners and Finalists, The National Book Foundation". Nationalbook.org. Retrieved 2013-08-17.
- Erdrich, Louise. The Birchbark House, 1999.
- "Birchbark House". Faculty.salisbury.edu. Retrieved 2013-08-17.