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Heidi Ackerman

Dr. Durand

English 540

5 April 2022

Intersectional Analysis of Firekeeper’s Daughter

We are all Matryoska dolls. There is a face that we present to the world, but then, there

are all those other layers that together form our core being. Hankivsky brilliantly defines the

intricacy of these overlapping identities as: “…human lives cannot be reduced to single

categories…Instead, intersectionality conceptualizes social categories as interacting with and co-

constituting one another to create unique social locations that vary according to time and place”

(9). When readers apply and analyze literature through the lens of intersectionality, they are more

empathetic to the complexities that drive a character in response to conflict. In Firekeeper’s

Daughter, Daunis Fontaine is an eighteen-year-old college bound young woman grappling to

embrace her family, both the Ojibwe and white lineages, which are constantly clashing.

Throughout her journey, Daunis contends with her core conflicting identities, especially

pertaining to how she allows her role to be defined in the tribe, how her new role undercover

allows a deeper understanding of her community, and how she responds to being violated by a

powerful man in her society.

Immediately, the reader is introduced to the internal and external conflicts that daily

impact Daunis due to her biracial background. Daunis is not alone in her struggle. Her best

friend, Lily, does not meet the requirement for blood to enroll. Even though they are not

“qualified” for tribal enrollment, both feel a deep connection to their ancestry. “We still regard

the Tribe as ours, even though our faces are pressed against the glass, looking in from the
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outside” (Boulley 18). Both young women cherish and honor their roots by practicing their

customs. Lily’s grandmother and Daunis’s aunt have taken the role of mentor in each girl’s life

to instruct them in the ways of their people. For example, every morning before her run, Daunis

offers semaa and her daily prayers and faithfully throws some more semma on each ferry trip to

honor the old ways. They also attend powwows and know the dances. One way in which the girls

visibly differ is their skin color. While Daunis takes after the Fontaine genetics and is often

called “Ghost,” “that washed-out-sister of Levi’s,” or “White sheep,” Lily’s skin is considerably

darker. Early in their lives they learn that “there is an Acceptable Anishinaabe Skin Tone

Continuum,” which impacts how one is treated both inside and outside of the tribe. (Boulley 12).

Because of the lightness of Daunis’s skin color, she is easily able to cross the river into Canada

and purchase products for her family without being questioned. However, because of the hue of

her epidermis, at times, she is excluded from aspects of her tribal culture like blanket parties

because, according to her aunt, she is just supposed to “Go to college. Snag Jamie. Live your

nice life” (Boulley 34). Just another reminder of trying to find her role in a complicated family

history. A pivotal moment for Daunis occurs when she is presented with an opportunity to enroll

in the tribe under special circumstances but realizes that paper does not solely define one’s

blood. She will always be Anishinaabe. Just like Daunis, we all have the power to wrestle with

our intersecting identities and choose to embrace the aspects of us that feel the most authentic.

“To know that your existence is validated and known by more than you is a feeling that can be

provided through young adult fiction, if it is accessible” (Hayne et al. 104). Students need to

witness examples of powerful protagonists who wrestle with the elements that comprise the

fabric of their being and determine not only how they wants to live their life, but also how they

will view themselves, regardless of other’s assumptions.

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Daunis dreams of becoming a doctor to heal others, but instead, is abruptly immersed in

an undercover investigation to uncover the individuals who are behind the meth operation that

has been mercilessly killing those in and near her community. Her main motivations for

participating in this operation is the desire to help save her community. Also, she understands if

it is not her, someone else will go undercover and may not be acquainted with her tribe, the

traditions, or be swayed by stereotypes. As she gets deeper into the investigation, Daunis realizes

to find justice, she may hurt those closest to her. As Daunis explains, “If the community were an

ill or injured person, the FBI would cut out the infection or reset the bones. Amputation if

necessary. I’m the only person looking at the whole person, not just the wound” (Boulley 217).

So, Daunis battles the tension warring inside of her between betraying and saving her people by

continuing her role in the undercover mission. In an interview with The Washington Post,

Angeline Boulley powerfully explains the devastating impacts that racial stereotyping has,

especially on Native American youth. She says: “To see yourself portrayed as a caricature, or the

worst, you know, the most extreme stereotype either as this noble, wise person or this savage,

you know, that whole noble savage dichotomy… it does a disservice” (Transcript: Race in

America: History Matters with Angeline Boulley & Kevin Gover). Throughout the novel,

Boulley does directly explore those stereotypes, especially pertaining to how Daunis’s new role

undercover allows her to see herself and her tribe with fresh eyes. Later, when Daunis is

recovering in the hospital, Mrs. Fontaine is interrogating Ron. She inquiries about what his

family thinks about his involvement in the operation to which he replies: “They know I work for

the FBI. My sister thinks it’s dangerous. My cousins think I’m a sellout. I do this work because

we need good people working at the agencies that help the tribes” (468). Regardless of

consequences, Ron does the work to protect and serve the tribes. And Angeline Boulley does her
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work to ensure young people can experience either window or mirror texts. As Sarah Park

Dahlen’s article ““We Need Diverse Books”: Diversity, Activism, and Children’s Literature

points out, “Window books “offer views of worlds that may be real or imagined…In mirror

books, “we can see our own lives and experiences as part of the larger human experience…is a

“means of self-affirmation”” (85-86). Representation matters. It is vital that students can either

see themselves reflected in literature or they can learn about others through the literature they

consume.

Despite not needing the paper validation, it is an important victory for Daunis when she is

gifted an “application for tribal enrollment—special circumstances” and has twenty-six Elder

affidavits to submit (Boulley 236). Laws are a double-edged sword. None knows this fact more

intimately than Daunis. Due to her youth, gender, and new enrollment vote, Daunis falls prey to

a corrupt and powerful man in her community who knows how to manipulate the laws of the

tribe. Grant Edwards rapes Daunis. Disturbingly, Grant had carefully premeditated this act to

escape legal consequences. As Daunis explains, “He [Grant] knew the resort was on tribal land.

He counted on the federal government not wasting resources going after non-Native guys like

him. They knew the tribal court couldn’t touch him” (Boulley 473). Edwards was known for

misogynistic behavior and expected his power to silence Daunis. However, as Hankivsky points

out and Daunis demonstrates, in intersectionality power is not static. “…power is relational. A

person can simultaneously experience both power and oppression in varying contexts at varying

times” (9). Despite her powerlessness and the crushing reality that justice will not be achieved

through legal means, she reaches deep into her core for the tools that her tribe has gifted her.

Daunis requests a blanket party. And in doing so, she discovers the power that has always

resided in her but was just lying-in dormancy. She is reborn. The topic of injustice is something
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students are well acquainted with. Students must know they are not powerless in the face of

injustice or discrimination. “Helping students listen to their hearts, explore their fears, and clarify

misunderstandings through the use of adolescent literature is one way to stop racism” (Hayne et

al. 146). Just as Daunis found her voice to speak up for herself and others, may students learn to

embrace their social identities to create positive change in themselves and their communities.

Students deserve to experience literature penned by authors of diverse backgrounds.

Tragically, that is not the case in the classroom. One only needs to take a glance at the following

numbers: “…between 1985 and 2015 the percentage of children’s books written by and/or about

non-white people fluctuated between 9 and 14 percent. In 2016, the “about” about percentage

reached 22 percent…” (Dahlen 83-84). As the numbers show, students are the victims. They are

being robbed of invaluable learning opportunities that literature can provide to grow in their

compassion for themselves, those around them, and their world. Therefore, novels such as

Firekeeper’s Daughter are even more necessary for the classroom. Also, it is important to note

that this novel that so beautifully introduces a specific tribe with its own unique customs is

shared from the pen of a woman who hails from that same tribe. As Boulley explains, there are

far too few novels that exist that are written by and from the Native American viewpoint. Dr.

Marlinda White Kaulaity explains why the author’s hereditary credentials are indispensable

when considering literature for the classroom. “When selecting and evaluating Native literature,

ask, who is the author?...From which Native community is the author speaking? Native writers

will present a much richer and more accurate story that any other writer could…” (Hayne et al.

243). Boulley is not only the expert on her topic but has created a captivating and thrilling read

that shares her culture in an accessible way with young adults. One concern is the page count.

But there are endless strategies to support and encourage the readings that educators may
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employ. A teacher may choose to create smaller book clubs or literary circles to foster safety in

the readings and discussions amongst peer groups. Or teachers could model how to read aloud

certain portions of the text in a whole class setting or allow students to listen to an audiobook.

Once students read a few chapters, concerns over length will soon fade as Darunis captivates

them with her tale. Ultimately, student deserve opportunities to experience relatable stories that

honestly disclose the struggle of embracing one’s uniquely complex intersecting identities.

Young adult literature relatedly addresses these topics. May teachers purposefully incorporate

YAL and may the words in these texts be a balm for their students’ souls and a solace to ease

their hearts as they explore their own wonderfully unique multi-faceted selves.
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Works Cited

Boulley, Angeline. Firekeeper’s Daughter. First edition., Henry Holt and Company, 2021.

Dahlen, S. P. (2020). “We Need Diverse Books”: Diversity, Activism, and Children’s Literature.

In N. op de Beeck (Ed.), Literary Cultures and Twenty-First-Century Childhoods (pp. 83-

108). (Literary Cultures and Childhoods). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-

32146-8_5.

Hankivsky, O. (2014). Intersectionality 101. Institute for Intersectionality Research & Policy,

Simon Fraser University.

Hayn, Judith A., and Jeffrey S. Kaplan. Teaching Young Adult Literature Today: Insights,

Considerations, and Perspectives for the Classroom Teacher. Rowman & Littlefield

Publishers, Inc., 2012.

“Transcript: Race in America: History Matters with Angeline Boulley & Kevin Gover.” The

Washington Post, 19 Nov. 2019.