The most recommended books about the Ojibwe

With As We Have Always Done, I’m taking a bit of a different direction on my recommendation theme in that a negative and harmful form of care – the ongoing forms of dispossession exercised by the colonial Canadian state that has a profound attachment to an ever-encroaching extractive economy –  is a historically specific backdrop to a positive form of care.

Simpson, a Michi Saagig Nishnaabeg author, writes about Indigenous resistance and refusal intertwined with reciprocal and consensual forms of caregiving between peoples, non-human animals, rivers, forests, soil, air, and so forth. I have learned from this not only what gets left out of mainstream public discourse but, more so, the significance of shared values being grounded in profound interdependencies between many forms of life.

Bagonegiizhig, better known as Hole in the Day, is an extremely charismatic figure in the history of Minnesota, yet few know of his life and leadership. In The Assassination of Hole in the Day, Ojibwe historian and scholar Anton Treuer skillfully reveals the rise and downfall of this clever, polarizing figure. An expert at his craft, Treuer provides readers with an excellent historical context to understand the world in which Hole in the Day lived. Then, Treuer shows readers how Hole in the Day rose to prominence and why he should not be overlooked by the annals of history.  

Louise Erdrich’s novel, The Antelope Wife, focuses on a battered woman who turns to her ancient tribal beliefs in the spirits of Nature, and in particular, the antelopes of the prairie, to help her overcome abuse.

The Antelope Wife and the Antelope Goddesses are totem figures in Native American Mythology that symbolize freedom and independence, especially for those who are abused and beaten by their spouse.

The generations of Antelope women who follow the goddess are presented by Erdrich as strong, independent females who must overcome the hardships of life in the city by retaining their belief in themselves and their ability to overcome disaster.

The story is an uplifting tale of bravery and cunning that will inspire and comfort any reader who seeks guidance and those readers who simply yearn to see an example of fortitude and success in the face of danger. On a personal note, it’s a… show more.

I used to moderate a book club for museum members at what is now the Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. Love Medicine was chosen by one of our exhibition artists. This astonishing debut is a masterwork about family, poverty, and passion.

The book is set where my grandparents came from, Minnesota and the Dakotas, and illustrates how settlers from Europe (my ancestors) continued to disrupt and destroy Native lives well into the 20th century. Ojibwe spiritual beliefs and Catholicism tangle as tightly as the characters that embody them. Spanning from 1934 to 1985, this novel should not be missed by anyone interested in Native American history.

Written by one of the US’s great novelists, this book took me straight into the homes and lives of a Native family fighting for both.

It’s gentle, funny, kind, and generous, and it’s based on the true story of how one tribe went all the way to Congress to foil a land grab that would have impoverished its members and destroyed their heritage.

It’s based on Erdrich’s grandfather, a night watchman who rose to the occasion. You’d think it would be depressing, but instead, I felt both cheered up and better educated by this must-read!

In a time when reconciliation and forgiveness are often lost in the melee of anger, violence, and vengeance, this witty and strong-boned novel gave me hope.

I'm a few years late to the party on this one, but Firekeeper’s Daughter was every bit as good as I'd been led to believe.

I love books that introduce me to people and cultures I have no experience with, and Firekeeper’s Daughter thoroughly immersed me in modern Ojibwe life. But this book is so much more than a transportive travelogue; it's also a gripping thriller and a searing indictment of how we treat missing Indigenous women.

(And don't miss the companion novel, Warrior Girl Unearthed, which came out earlier this year!)

I’m not a religious person, but I learned a lot about Catholicism and its complex history with Indigenous tribes reading this book. But first and foremost, the book is a steamy second chance M/M (male/male) romance about two men caught on opposing sides of the tribal schism between followers of the Catholic church versus traditional Ojibwe culture. It’s a great Native same-sex romance read.

Keepers of the Game is a great book for provoking arguments. Martin asks why Native Americans willingly participated in the European fur trade, overhunting beavers and other wild furbearers to near-extinction in the process. His succinctly explained answer is a creative one that centers on the cooperative spiritual relationship between indigenous peoples and indigenous animals. His thesis has generated multiple scholarly counters—a clear sign of true originality. This book really made me think about the different kinds of relationships people have with animals. I think it’s far too easy to assume that we all see the same thing when looking at a wild creature. Martin’s work, though, impressed upon me the need to take seriously other, more unfamiliar perspectives on the natural world.    

Though we are thankful for the current movements to decolonize archives and museums, from at least 1750, Native writers have been doing this important survival work of asserting Native ways of knowing. This revelation is the subject of Wisecup’s ground-breaking study. It shows how early Native writers assembled lists, collages, and literary texts that, through juxtaposition and recontextualization, resisted the way colonial archives defined their bodies, belongings, and words as ethnographic evidence of vanishing peoples. Wisecup offers revealing ways to read the Indigenous compilations of key figures like Mohegan Samson Occom’s medicinal recipes, Ojibwe Charlotte Johnston’s poetry scrapbooks, and Abenaki leader Joseph Laurent’s vocabulary lists. We also deeply appreciate how Wisecup ends each chapter by connecting the early writer it focuses on to contemporary Indigenous culture.

Josie wants to dance at next summer’s powwow. But she needs nearly everyone in her family to help make this possible. As Josie’s story unfolds we are introduced to the special people in her family. We learn of their love, their kindness, and their special talents. We are also introduced to the beautiful connections to many parts of our natural world.