 | |
| Author | Louise Erdrich |
|---|---|
| Series | "The Birchbark House Series" |
Publication date | 1999 |
| Publication place | United States |
Published in English | 1999 |
| Followed by | The Game of Silence (2006) The Porcupine Year (2008) Chickadee(2012) Makoons (2016) |
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 positive reviews and was a 1999 National Book Award Finalist for young people's fiction.[1]
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 works together to hunt, build, gather, and survive according to the needs of the tribe according to each season. 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: a baby named Neewo (who dies from 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]
- ^ "The Birchbark House". National Book Foundation. Archived from the original on April 15, 2022. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
- ^ Erdrich, Louise. The Birchbark House, 1999.