Angeline Boulley’s novel, Firekeeper’s Daughter, explores a multitude of themes beyond its framework. Once the reader peels behind each layer of the novel, they will discover ideas of racism, colorism, injustice, murder, suicide, drug abuse and much more. Boulley claims that this novel is not just a thriller, but it’s “a deeper journey, at its heart.” Angeline Boulley, an enrolled tribal member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, is a storyteller who writes about her Ojibwe community in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Much of what Angeline Boulley writes in Firekeeper’s Daughter is inspired by her own life, even the main protagonist of the novel, Daunis Fontaine, is a character initially based on herself. Throughout the novel, numerous …show more content…
In the novel, Grant Edwards, a prominent white man, is implied to have assaulted Daunis at Shagala. While the scene is non-graphic, it is triggering and jarring because it was unexpected. However, this scene provides powerful commentary on the mistreatment of Native women that happens today. Murder and sexual assault rates are significantly high in Native women across the United States. Many of these assaults are committed by non-Native white men, who are rarely reported and prosecuted. Angeline Boulley highlights such an important topic that connects a bigger issue: the murdered and missing Indigenous women epidemic. While touching on issues circulating the Native community, Boulley also incorporates traditional Ojibwe names, terms, and practices into the novel. As an individual who is not Indigenous, the Ojibwe customs and philosophies are explained in detail, and learning about Indigenous culture became an experience that was highly cherished. To learn more about the world gives an individual a new perspective and allows them to appreciate the differences and celebrate them. An identity is the beliefs, memories, characteristics, and relationships that create one’s sense of self. Daunis experiences racism, colorism, and microaggression within both of her communities. It is learned in the novel that identity goes beyond race and ethnicity; experiences also make a person