The Birchbark House: A coming of age novel

The Birchbark House

• Omakayas, an Ojibwe child is given a second chance when she is rescued from an island infected with smallpox.
• Raised as the daughter of Yellow Kettle and Mikwam, she feels separate from her family; not as beautiful as her sister, not as rambunctious as her brother, and without skills like her parents or grandmother

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• Omakayas feels that she will never be as good or as beautiful as her sister and is hurt by her sister's negligence.
• She does not understand why Pinch is never punished or why he can get away with doing innapropriate things.

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• Nokomis, Omakayas grandmother, make her responsible for the welll-being of her youngest brother Neewo.
• She takes this responsibility very seriously and treats Neewo as if he were her own son.
• Her caring, protective nature asserts itself when she is with her brother.

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• Omakayas' family faces a year full of tragedy when the village is stricken with smallpox.
• Omakayas' friend and brother are both killed by the disease and her family becomes very ill.
• She makes the decision first that she will die with her family and then that she will try to save them.

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• Omakayas is overcome with the grief with the loss of her brother.Depression becomes a constant as she tries to come to terms with her new reality.
• Depression becomes a constant companion as she tries to come to terms with her new reality.
• It is not until she dreams of the bear spirit woman that she is able to leave the cabin and begin healing.
• Her potential as a healer grows and she approaches Nokomis for assistance.

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• When Omakayas learns of teh truth of her birth, she feels as if she has found a piece of herself that was missing.
• She begins to move past the deaths of her family and friends.

Themes

• Spiritual beliefsAnishinabe vs. Chimookoman lifestyles
• Anishinabe vs. Chimookoman lifestyles Loss of innocence
• Spiritual beliefs

Anishinabe Spiritual Beliefs

• The Anishinabe believe that each animal has a spirit, which should be honored.
• Each time an animal is killed or a plant is cut a prayer is said to the spirit animal and a gift is left behind.

Anishinabe Spiritual Beliefs

• Omakayas affinity for animals and the healing aspects of her culture are apparent from a young age.
• She learns how to cut birchbark for her family's cabin, how to thank the spirits for their sacrifice as food, and ask the spirits for help.

"You are mixed blood," jeered Old Tallow, "wisikodewinini, half-burnt wood. Am I speaking to the white half or the Anishinabe?" - Erdich (p.167)

Anishinabe vs. Chimookoman

• The Anishinabe and Chimookoman lifestyles were very different. However, Mikwam, having an Ojibwe mother and French father, incorporated many things from both cultures into his family life.
• The cabin was designed based on Chimookoman ideas and he took pride in playing chess.

Anishinabe vs. Chimookoman

• Mikwam hunts and trades furs and takes pride when his children reach a milestone in the Anishinabe culture.
• He is very proud of the way Omakayas cleaned the hides and practices medicine.
• This story touches on the issues the Anishinabe will face: residential schools, unfamiliar customs, disease, etc.

Loss of Innocence

• Omakayas is given the responsibility to care for her youngest brother and told that he may return to the other place if she is unkind. She is devestated when he dies of smallpox.
• Omakayas must face the harsh reality that bad things happen to good and innocent people. There is nothing that she could have done to prevent this from happening.

Loss of Innocence

• The reality of living in the 19th century was that children may not live to adulthood. Omakayas family did not shield her from the fact that he may die but rather gave her the responsibility of caring for him.

Loss of innocence

• Omakayas is introduced as young girl who follows her sister around wishing that she will someday be able to make her proud.
• She tries to avoid chores and becomes frustrated when her family does not understand her feelings.
• She feels isolated even within her family, except when she is with Neewo.

"This was the first day of the journey on which she would find out the truth of her future, who she was." -Erdich (p.238)

Growing up

• Omakayas learns the truth of her birth and how Old Tallow rescued her as a young child.
• Even though she does not wasn't to hear the truth, once she does, she feels at peace. She can move on from her grief and begin to see the world in a new light.

Erdrich, L. (1999). The birchbark house. Hyperion Books for Chidlren: New York.