Chapter 4

Louise Erdrich’s The Plague of Doves

In a Native American context, the act of passing stories and Native orality is a crucial thematic element that is subtly included in almost all Indigenous works of literature. This “sacred” act of carrying on teachings and rituals in the form of oral expressions, stories, and myths does not only highlight the Native determination to thrive but also the Native authors’ attempts at maintaining this tradition as a potential means of survival and restoration. Such literary attempts are representative of the Native American peoples’ individual and collective traumatic experiences as well as their healing journeys. In Louise Erdrich’s The Plague of Doves (2008), we can spot the author’s efforts to incorporate into her narrative a multiplicity of stories. Indeed, her peoples’ heritage is transmitted from one generation to the next.

This chapter, thus, endeavors to underscore the role of Anishinaabe orality and storytelling in conserving and restoring a Chippewa sense of identity. It identifies these elements on two major levels of analysis: first, the study of storytelling through storytellers in Erdrich’s novel. Second, the novel’ attempts at sustaining an Anishinaabe sense of belonging and existence through the keeping of an Ojibwe memory across the generations. By virtue of this continuous transmission through storytelling, the Anishinaabe legacy is preserved and voiced. As such, this paper draws attention to the significance of storytelling in the building of the trauma and healing experiences as represented in Erdrich’s book.