The Birchbark House

Follow a young Ojibwe girl named Omakayas throughout an eventful year on Mooningwanekaaning, now known as Madeline Island.

About the Author

Louise Erdrich is a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians. She is an acclaimed and award-winning novelist who was just awarded the Pulitzer Prize for her latest novel, The Night Watchman.

Discussion Questions

  1. The story begins with a tragic prologue about how Omakayas was found on a smallpox-ravaged island.

    • What do you know about the history of diseases hurting indigenous communities in North America?

    • Have you learned about this subject in school?

  2. Why are names important in the story?

    • What do Omakayas’ names for Neewo mean to her?

    • Does your name have a special meaning?

  3. Why does Omakayas’ family move throughout the island during the year? What are the advantages of their different homes, the birchbark house and the winter cabin?

  4. How does Omakayas’ view of her siblings change throughout the book? What is the significance of family in Ojibwe culture? How is your family important to you?

  5. Throughout the story, Omakayas develops a special connection with the bear spirit. How are animals and animal spirits significant in Ojibwe culture?

Learning Activities

  1. Names play an important role in the story and in Ojibwe culture as a whole. Talk to your parents about your name. What does it mean? Why did they choose it? What were some of their other options?

  2. Look up Ojibwe naming practices to learn about the significance of names in Ojibwemowin and Ojibwe culture.

  3. Nokomis and Deydey are beloved for the stories they tell. Speak to some of the elders in your life and ask them about their youth. What kind of stories do they tell? What can you learn from their stories?

Explore More

  1. Read Louise Erdrich's Books and Islands in Ojibwe Country, her autobiographical account of her own experience traveling across Ojibwe country with her young baby.

  2. Continue reading The Birchbark House series! Check out book two, Game of Silence, book three, The Porcupine Year, book four, Chickadee, and book five, Makoons.

  3. Visit the Madeline Island Museum to learn more about the history of Mooningwanekaaning.