Keeper'n Me

Four months pass after Garnet’s return. He needs time to connect with his surroundings as he does not speak Ojibwe or know Ojibwe practices, but people make him feel at home. He also lives with his mother. He spends time with the community, often sitting around a fire while Wally Red Sky sings country songs.

One day, a woman notifies Garnet that Keeper wants to see him. Garnet knows that Keeper had an alcohol addiction, but he went away to rehab. Many people doubted his ability to recover. Alice tells him that she and Keeper were friends and went to residential school together. Keeper now lives in the old cabin of Garnet’s grandfather, Harold.

Garnet visits Keeper in the cabin. Keeper knew Harold since he was a kid. Harold was a traditional man and the last to know about Midewewin, “the people’s guardians” (98). Midewewin protected the community through ceremonies and knew all about the world. People changed after the arrival of white people and were “distracted” by white culture and were no longer seeking traditional teachings. However, more and more feel like they are missing something. Keeper tells Garnet that very few people know the Midewewin tradition.