The Marrow Thieves Sparknotes

Ponnada 1

Sahithi Ponnada

Mr. Kozlowski

ENG1D1-11

Dec 10, 2022

Tansi Kesihtwahk: The Portrayal of Culture through Symbolism

The British author Jay Griffiths states, “If people can’t acknowledge the wisdom of

Indigenous cultures, then that’s their loss” (The Scotsman 2013). Indigenous culture in Canada is one of the most distinct cultures in the world. It has unique social, political and economic institutions as well as distinctive language, heritage, practices and beliefs. The book The Marrow

Thieves by Cherie Dimaline is set in a dystopian world where climate change has broken the earth and the population has lost the ability to dream, except for the Indigenous peoples as their bone marrow has the cure for this dreamless epidemic. This

For these reasons, Frenchie and the other characters feel pride in their braids, showing their pride in their culture. Then, during the chapter “Found”, a member of a Council that the survivors lead, unexpectedly meets with Miigwans and invites the group to meet with the rest of the Council. The chapter references Native culture when Frenchie describes the sweat lodge where “at the base, was a squat round structure, piled with layers of old blankets and tarps. In front of it burned a low fire and two piles: one of wood, the other of round rocks”(Dimaline 168). When Frenchie sees this he exclaims: “Is that a sweat lodge?”

(Dimaline 168) and states that he “could barely breathe” (Dimaline 168). Sweat lodges are a structure unique to Indigenous peoples. A Native American sweat lodge traditionally uses heat to force the body to sweat off impurities and toxins while simultaneously promoting blood circulation and even inducing spiritual insight and visions. When Frenchie sees this familiar structure, he is full of joy and can barely breathe at the sight of it. This symbolizes his emotional and spiritual connection to his culture as just looking at the sweat lodge provides him

He specifically displays Indigenous leadership because as he says to Frenchie, he makes the decisions for the community and not himself. Next, the idea of family is brought up in the novel as Frenchie, Rose, Miigwans, Minerva, Chi-boy Riri, Slopper,

Tree, Zheegwan and Wab are not blood-related, yet they see each other as a family and act like one. Frenchie confirms this when he thinks to himself: “Eventually Wab and Miig came up and settled in, and I dozed off to the sounds of genuine sleep from my patchwork family” (Dimaline

150). Frenchie believes that his group is like a “patchwork family” and this means he feels a kinship with them, even if they are not related. This connects back to the Indigenous way of life

Ponnada 5 because, in these cultures, family is more than the modern nuclear family. Families are large, interconnected networks of kinship that frequently comprise entire communities. Furthermore, it is an Indigenous ideology that the extended family must take responsibility for a child if they are orphaned or if their biological parents are unable to do so. This is exactly what happens in the book, the only difference being that they are not even extended family. Everyone is a stranger