Yellow Kettle fed Gichi Noodin, but nobody else had the heart to eat. They sorrowed as a family. The cabin was full of weeping. But as they didn’t want to wake Opichi, they all cried quietly. After a long while, they finally slept. The next morning, when Gichi Noodin made ready to leave, Animikiins gave Omakayas a significant look. She put her hand on his arm.
“Where are you going?”
“Nowhere,” said Gichi Noodin, looking down at his feet.
“Then why don’t you stay here?”
Animikiins had to admit that during his long moons of survival, Gichi Noodin had become an extremely clever hunter. Deydey had to admit that during his long moons of boredom, Gichi Noodin had become a very funny storyteller. Omakayas said from the beginning that he had saved her sister’s child, who was also her child in the Ojibwe tradition, and that in this way he had become family. She loved Opichi very much. Although Opichi missed her parents, she was still very young, and quickly attached herself to Omakayas. Opichi also couldn’t help being merry sometimes, making people laugh. Opichi loved Gichi Noodin, of course. Makoons and Chickadee had to admit that he could make a winter fire from scratch faster than they could—it was a skill they’d made into a competition. Yellow Kettle had to admit Gichi Noodin never let the wood run low. Two Strike had to admit he threw a knife about half as well as she could. They played the game of hitting a target across the tipi, a piece of wood. Wood lice woke up in the heat and crawled across the log. Gichi Noodin speared them with the point of his knife. Yes, he was pretty good at that. But although everyone expected he might brag, at least a little, they had to admit that he had become surprisingly modest. And Zozie, well, she had to admit nothing. She didn’t have to speak. She said it all with her eyes.
One night Makoons and Chickadee lay awake, side by side in the fading glow of the little stove.
“My brother,” said Chickadee, “do you remember when you were ill? You had a dream?”
“Yes,” said Makoons.
“Is it over? Was this all? Losing Nokomis? Then our aunt and uncle? Opichi losing her parents? Was this all?”
Makoons said nothing.
“Brother,” said Chickadee. “Your dream. Is it over?”
Makoons still said nothing.
“Brother?”
Makoons sighed deeply, pretended to have fallen asleep. But his eyes were open, staring into the darkness.
The End
Mi’iw minik
AUTHOR’S NOTE ON THE OJIBWE LANGUAGE
Obijbwemowin was originally a spoken, not written, language, and for that reason spellings are often idiosyncratic. There are also many, many dialects in use. To make the Obijbwemowin in the text easier to read, I have sometimes used phonetic spellings. I apologize to the reader for any mistakes and refer those who would like to encounter the language in depth to A Concise Dictionary of Minnesota Ojibwe, edited by John D. Nichols and Earl Nyholm; to the Oshkaabewis Native Journal, edited by Anton Treuer; to the work of Brendan Fairbanks; and to the curriculum developed by Dennis Jones at the University of Minnesota.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Miigwech:
To Netaa-niimid Amooikwe, Persia, for consultation on Ojibwe language, horse behavior, horse riding, and horse training. To Nicholas Vrooman, whose book “The Whole Country Was . . . ‘One Robe’”: Little Shell’s America, is an invaluable source. George Catlin recounted a story of a tame buffalo calf that follows him around camp after a hunt. Thanks to Ron Manson for sharing his knowledge of the fish that inhabited the original waters of North Dakota. Thank you to Dolores Manson for her example as a mother, grandmother, and ceramic artist. Miigwech Denise Lajimodiere for our conversation about buffalo hunts and her memories of her grandfathers’ stories. The story of the tremendous sorrow of the herd of buffalo is true. It was told by Gregoire Monette of Langdon, North Dakota, and first printed in the Courier-Democrat Newspaper at Langdon in 1917. The story of the man who married into a family of bears is adapted from a story titled “The Bear Woman,” told by Coming Day, in the book Sacred Stories of the Sweet Grass Cree, edited by Leonard Bloomfield. Most of all, I want to thank my parents, Rita Gourneau Erdrich and Ralph Erdrich, for the stories they tell me, the work they do, and the way they make life new and interesting every single day.
GLOSSARY AND PRONUNCIATION GUIDE OF OJIBWE TERMS
aadizookaan (ahd-zoh-kahn): a traditional story that often helps explain how to live as an Ojibwe
aadizookaanag (ahd-zoh-khan-ahg): the plural form of aadizookaan
ahneen (ah-NEEN): greeting
anama’eminensag (ah-nam-ah’ay-min-ayns-ug): praying berries or ropes
Anishinabe (AH-nish-in-AH-bay): the original name for the Ojibwe or Chippewa people, a Native American group who originated in and live mainly in the northern North American woodlands. There are currently Ojibwe reservations in Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ontario, Manitoba, Montana, and Saskatchewan
Anishinabeg (AH-nish-in-AH-bayg): the plural form of Anishinabe
baka’akwen (bah-kah-ah-kweh-n): chicken
bezhig (bay-zhig): one
Biboonang (Bib-oon-ung): Winter Spirit
bine (bin-ay): partridge
binewag (bin-ay-wug): the plural form of bine
biwabik (bii-wahb-ick): metal
bizindaan (bih-zin-dahn): listen
Bwaan-akiing (Bwahn-ah-keeng): the land of the Dakota and Lakota people, two other Native tribes
Deydey (DAY-day): Daddy
dibi’ (dih-bih): I don’t know where
eya’ (ay-yah): yes
gaawiin (gah-WEEN): no
geget (GEH-geht): surely, or for emphasis, truly or really
gidebwe (ghih-day-bway): you speak the truth
gigawaabamin (gih-gah-WAH-bah-min): I will see you
giigawedaa (gee-gah-way-day): let’s go home
giiwedin (gee-way-din): north
gijigijigaaneshiinh (gih-jih-gih-jih-gah-nay-shee): chickadee
ginebigoog (ghin-ay-big-oog): snakes
Gizhe Manidoo (Gih-zhay Man-ih-do): the great, kind spirit
gookoosh (goo-koosh): pig
howaa (HOW-ah): a sound of approval
Iskigamizige-giizis (Iss-kay-gah-mih-zih-gey-giizis): April
majaan (mah-jahn): go away!
makak (mah-KUK): a container of birchbark folded and often stitched together with basswood fiber. Ojibwe people use these containers today, especially for traditional feasts
makakoon (mah-kah-koon): the plural form of makak
manoomin (mah-NOH-min): wild rice; the word means “the good seed”
mashi (mahsh-ih): yet
mashkiig (maash-keeg): swampy place
mekadewikonyewinini (meh-kah-day-wih-kone-iy-eh-in-in-ih): black robe/priest
memegwesiwag (may-may-gway-see-wug): the plural form of memegwesi, little people
miigwech (mee-gwetch): thank you
minopogwad (min-oh-poh-gwud): it tastes good
naanan (nahn-an): five
nashke (nahsh-kay): look
niiwin (nee-win): four
niizh (neezh): two
nimama (nee-mama): my mama
niswi (niss-way): three
Nokomis (no-KOH-mis): grandmother
Nookoo (Noo-koo): shortened version of Nokomis
waabooz (WAH-booz): rabbit
we’eh (way-ay): namesake
wigwam (WIHG-wahm): a birchbark house
wigwassi-wigamig (wig-wass-ih-wig-ahm-ig): house
Zhawanong (Zhah-wah-nung): the South
BACK ADS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Photo by Angela Erdrich
LOUISE ERDRICH lives with her family in Minnesota and is the owner of Birchbark Books, an independent bookstore. Ms. Erdrich is a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, and this story—which will, in the end, span one hundred years in the life of an Ojibwe woman—was inspired when Ms. Erdrich and her mother, Rita Gourneau Erdrich, were researching their own family history. Makoon
s continues the story that started with The Birchbark House, a National Book Award finalist; The Game of Silence, winner of the Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction in 2006; the acclaimed The Porcupine Year; and Chickadee, winner of the Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction in 2013.
Ms. Erdrich is also the bestselling author of many critically acclaimed novels for adults, including the Pulitzer Prize finalist The Plague of Doves, the National Book Award winner The Round House, and the National Book Award finalist The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse. She is also the author of the picture book Grandmother’s Pigeon, illustrated by Jim LaMarche. You can visit her online at www.readlouiseerdrich.com and www.birchbarkbooks.com.
Discover great authors, exclusive offers, and more at hc.com.
BOOKS BY LOUISE ERDRICH
FOR CHILDREN
Grandmother’s Pigeon
ILLUSTRATED BY JIM LAMARCHE
The Range Eternal
ILLUSTRATED BY STEVE JOHNSON AND LOU FANCHER
The Birchbark House
The Game of Silence
The Porcupine Year
Chickadee
NOVELS AND STORIES
Love Medicine
The Beet Queen
Tracks
The Bingo Palace
Tales of Burning Love
The Antelope Wife
The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse
The Master Butchers Singing Club
Four Souls
The Painted Drum
The Plague of Doves
The Red Convertible
Shadow Tag
The Round House
POETRY
Jacklight
Baptism of Desire
Original Fire
NONFICTION
The Blue Jay’s Dance
Books and Islands in Ojibwe Country
CREDITS
COVER ART © 2016 BY AZA ERDRICH DORRIS
COVER DESIGN BY MICHELLE TAORMINA
COPYRIGHT
MAKOONS. Copyright © 2016 by Louise Erdrich. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
www.harpercollinschildrens.com
Library of Congress Control Number: 2015038741
ISBN 978-0-06-057793-3 (trade bdg.)
ISBN 978-0-06-057794-0 (lib bdg.)
EPub Edition © July 2016 ISBN 9780062395405
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FIRST EDITION
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