The Birchbark House (Erdrich)

Erdrich, Louise. The Birchbark House. New York: Hyperion Books for Children, 1999. ISBN 780786814541

PLOT SUMMARY

The Birchbark House is a thoughtful depiction of Omakayas as she goes through a pivotal year in her young life. Set in 1847, Omakayas is an eight year-old girl of the Ojibwa. The reader follows her through the four seasons as her family creates a birchbark house by the lake, prepares for the coming winter, moves into their winter home in town and suffer through hunger and sickness. Finally the book concludes with Omakayas finding spiritual and physical healing.  

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The Birchbark House is the beautiful story of Omakayas, a strong spirited child who deals with typical childhood woes. Her older sister does not pay her enough attention, her younger brother is annoying, and she hates her chores. However typical as this may seem, Omakayas is far from average. She has a special gift: she can converse with a bear, her spirit guide! 

Through the course of the story, Omakayas and her family experience the effects of white settlers moving west. She learns first hand of the devastation and death brought through English settlers as her family contracts “the scratching disease” or smallpox. 

Through the course of a year, Omakayas experiences great loss, learns of her terrifying past, and comes to understand her future. With the help of the strong women in her life, Omakayas learns to quietly listen as “dizzy spells” pass over her. She comes to understand that when she listens closely she is able to gain information from her spirit guides that will eventually assist her in healing others.

Through Omakayas, Erdrich is able to weave together a picture of what daily life was like for the American Indian Ojibwa people in the 1847. Edrich explains that she uses information found in her search for information about her own heritage to give vivid descriptions of Omakaya’s life. The reader learns through Omakayas of the tedious tasks of scraping hides to create the materials necessary for “makazins” and of drying berries to flavor winter soups. The reader also experiences with Omakayas traditional Ojibwa stories as they are orally passed to her from her father “Deydey” and her grandmother “Nokomis.”

Edrich incorporates poetic Ojibwa speech patterns and language throughout the novel. For example, when Omakayas’ grandmother retells the story of how their island came to be she explains how “Nanabozho blew on Muskrat until he came back to life” and eventually how these actions led to “this earth we are on today.” Words belonging to the Ojibwa language are often defined through the story’s context, but are always included in the glossary and pronunciation guide at the story’s conclusion. By flipping to the glossary, readers can learn that Nanabozho of grandmother’s story is a “great teacher of the Ojibwas.” 

Erdrich has also included small black and white sketches at the beginning of each chapter and periodically throughout the text. Younger readers will find the illustrations helpful in visualizing unfamiliar scenes. For example, the image of Omakayas scraping a hide with a new tool given to her by her father will help reader’s understanding of the laborious process. Another image demonstrates Omakayas’s sister’s new outfit sewn by their mother, while other illustrations show the variety of clothing styles and appearances of her father and his friends. All of these images provide critical additional information to the reader as they may be reading of unfamiliar settings, clothing styles, and ways of life.

REVIEW EXCERPTS

Publisher’s Weekly: “Against the backdrop of Ojibwa cultural traditions, Omakayas also conveys the universal experiences of childhood.”

School Library Journal: “deftly drawn characters, relationships that ring true, and fascinating details about the daily life of the Ojibwa”

Kirkus Reviews: “a novel that is by turns charming, suspenseful, and funny, and always bursting with life.”

CONNECTIONS

Continue reading books in Erdrich’s Birchbark House series:

Erdrich, Louise. The Game of Silence. ISBN 9780064410298

Erdrich, Louise. The Porcupine Year. ISBN 9780064410304

Erdrich, Louise. Chickadee. ISBN 9780060577902

Learn about modern members of the Ojibwa people by reading these books:

Bial, Raymond. The Ojibwe. ISBN 9780761408635

King, Sandra. Shannon: An Ojibway Dancer. ISBN 9780822596431

Learn more about the legends of Nanabosho by reading books by Joseph McLellan, available through Oyate.com. 

McLellan, Joseph. Nanabosho and the Woodpecker. Ill. by Rhian Brynjolson. 1989.

McLellan, Joseph. Nanabosho: How the Turtle Got Its Shell. Ill. by Rhian Brynjolson. 1989.

McLellan, Joseph. Nanabosho, Soaring Eagle, and the Great Sturgeon. Ill. by Rhian Brynjolson. 1994.

Learn facts about the Ojibwa people at this website:

American Indians for Children. “Ojibway Fact Sheet.” http://www.bigorrin.org/chippewa_kids.htm