The Birchbark House

“The voyageurs watched from a distance as the baby crawled in a circle, whimpering and pitiful. Her tiny dress of good blue wool was embroidered with white beads and ribbons, and her new makazins were carefully sewn. It was clear she had been loved.” 

As the book opens, a group of voyageurs (fur traders) have found a baby who is the sole survivor of a smallpox outbreak on Spirit Island. This analysis of her clothing as a reflection of the love her deceased family had for her prepares the reader to see clothing used as a symbol of affection throughout the novel. We later learn that this baby is Omakayas, the protagonist.

“Birds were singing, dozens of tiny white-throated sparrows. The trilling, rippling sweetness of their songs contrasted strangely with the silent horror below.” 

When she is older, the springtime song of the white-throated sparrow will frequently accompany Omakayas and bring her comfort. When she learns of her origins, Omakayas remembers that this birdsong kept her alive as a baby. This birdsong is also a sign of the powerful connection that Omakayas shares with the animal world.

“When she talked to the manitous, Nokomis dipped out a pinch of tobacco. ‘Old Sister,’ she said to the birchbark tree, ‘we need your skin for our shelter.’” 

We meet Nokomis as she prepares to build the family’s summer birchbark home. Nokomis is established from the start as the family’s spiritual leader; she talks to manitous, or spirits, and always has tobacco with her to make offerings. The prayer she offers to the birchbark tree shows the humility and respect with which the Anishinabeg approach the natural world.