The Game of Silence book review

“I take a long time to write these books because they are, in the truest sense, labors of love for my characters, my children, my ancestors, and my people,” (Erdrich 2005).

The next Native American book which I chose to review is a historical fiction novel. I was curious about Native American historical fiction because of author Cynthia Leitich Smith’s desire to avoid it. In my last post I described how she preferred to set her books in a contemporary setting so that the audience will understand that the Native American tradition lives and breathes today, not just in the past.

The Game of Silence written by Louise Erdrich is set in 1850 on Lake Superior’s southern shores on the island of Moningwanaykaning, (modern day Madeline Island). Omakayas, or Little Frog, is a nine-year-old girl and member of the Anishinabe, the original name for the Ojibwe or Chippewa people. The story follows Omakayas as she is faced with many obstacles including extra chores, relocation, separation, hunger and death which are all caused by the white settler westward expansion. Omakayas’ world is disrupted when a ragged-looking group of Natives arrive on the shore of the island seeking refuge. She soon discovers that white people forced them to relocate and her village will soon suffer the same fate. In addition to the anxiety caused by this irruption of fear, Omakayas is coming of age in her culture and is having doubts about completing the custom of a vision quest.

Erdrich is an “insider” author as she is a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwa in North Dakota. An indication that The Game of Silence is authentic literature is Erdrich’s extensive usage of Ojibwa terms. At the end of the text, she includes a helpful five-page glossary and pronunciation guide, noting that the spellings are often idiosyncratic as Ojibwa was originally a spoken language, (249).

The Game of Silence is true to the Ojibwa culture in many ways. In her novel Erdrich succeeds in describing Ojibwa customs and traditions. Throughout the text the Omakayas, her brother, and cousins are enticed to play a game of silence when the adults are meeting. Erdrich explains how this practice “is based on a real Ojibwa game adults used to keep children quiet when they needed adult time indoors,” (“extras” 3). Another custom is depicted in chapter 5 with the task of artfully constructing “jeemaanan”, or birchbark canoes, (67). Chapter six follows the family as they “knock manoomin,” the practice of harvesting rice, (74). The inclusion of these customs illustrates that Erdrich is an informed author.

Another reason for the accuracy of this novel is Erdrich’s drawings depicting authentic Ojibwa articles. The intermittent illustrations contain objects which represent “pieces from [her] own collection of traditionally made Ojibwa baskets and moccasins,” (“extras” 3). It is clear that Erdrich is dedicated to creating an accurate portrayal of Ojibwa culture in all aspects of her novel.

Erdrich has created a work which informs the audience of the Ojibwa culture. Its positive and accurate depiction of Native American culture can teach a misinformed or unaware reader. Although her novel is historical fiction, it would make a great addition to a classroom. Perhaps a method for guaranteeing that children understand the Ojibwa culture as ongoing would be to supplement this novel with literature by Cynthia Leitich Smith or other authors which is set in a contemporary setting.

Work Cited:

Erdrich, Louise. The Game of Silence. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2005.

Image: http://ebooks.library.ipswich.qld.gov.au/00000170-00...