Native American new release is a powerful coming-of-age tale

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Angeline Boulley’s highly anticipated young adult thriller is like a Native American powwow deeply layered with symbolism, glitter and enough mystery to keep you spinning in delight.

Boulley’s debut book, “Firekeeper’s Daughter,” was much anticipated since it received a robust seven figures at a 2019 auction for publication rights. It was recently announced the book would be remade into a Netflix series. Firekeeper is a phrase that describes an important role in many Indigenous cultures — the person who is responsible for lighting the fire at ceremonial events such as burial rights.

Boulley, a member of the Sault Tribe, has worked extensively in tribal government and was most recently the director of the Office of Indian Education at the U.S. Department of Education, until she resigned to pursue writing full time. She joins a growing number of Indigenous writers who are making an impact.

Most recently, the prestigious Caldecott Medal — honoring children book authors and illustrators — was awarded to illustrator Michaela Goade and author Carole Lindstrom for their book, “We Are the Water Protectors,” a picture book promoting the protection of water resources.

Prior to that, Tommy Orange wrote, “There There,” about the contemporary urban Native American culture in Los Angeles. Louise Erdrich still leads the pantheon of Indigenous writers with her 12 novels set on Native American land, and Joy Harjo has played an admirable role as the nation’s Poet Laureate.

Boulley’s young adult tale doesn’t stray far from the rural fictional reservation she created in Sault Ste. Marie, which is the centerpiece for her story. The protagonist, Daunis Fontaine, is a super-bright recent high school graduate looking forward to her freshman year at the University of Michigan, where she wants to pursue a pre-med degree. Daunis, who played hockey for her high school, is like any other young woman — up for a party and checking out the guys, except she is deeply connected to her culture and family.

Everything changes when she becomes attracted to Jamie, a new guy in town who makes the Sault’s elite travelling hockey team. No one knows much about the mysterious stranger.

Daunis life begins to spin out of control when her friends begin dying of meth overdoses, and she is recruited as a confidential informant for the FBI — the same role played by her uncle, a respected high school teacher, who died from a suspected meth overdose.


As Daunis takes on the super-secret role, the burgeoning relationship with Jamie becomes more complex as the investigation gets closer to the truth. Bolley, who compares Daunis to the fictional Nancy Drew, said, “She’s the Indigenous Nancy Drew.”

Boulley said it took her 10 years to write the book, and only a few weeks to sell it once she landed an agent. The author, who worked for the Sault Tribe for 12 years, has the experience to write about not only complex tribal politics, but also family life on the reservation.

She said the idea for the book actually came to her as a teenager, when she learned about a new guy in town who turned out to be an undercover agent. “The idea stuck with me,” she said.

Although Boulley wasn’t raised in the Sault, she spent many idyllic summers at her grandparent’s home on Sugar Island. Much of the story is centered on the island and its important role in Sault Tribe history.

The book takes on real issues, like “per cap,’” but also the poverty and drug and alcohol dependency, which has plagued many Native American tribes. For those who know little more than the common shibboleths about Indigenous life, the book is a tremendous addition to a genre, which has been too often highjacked by non-Indigenous writers.

In 1976, author Asa Earl Carter sold “The Education of Little Tree” as a memoir of a Native American. Carter, a non-tribal member, was later revealed to be a member of the Ku Klux Klan.
Boulley said, “For many younger readers, this will be the first time reading about this particular topic and a coming-of-age story set on a reservation.”

The book also pokes fun about what Native Americans think of white attitudes toward Indigenous populations. Daunis and her friend Lilly play a unique game of bingo — secretly covering imagined bingo cards in their head. As folks around them make racist or uninformed comments about Indigenous life, such as “‘I want to give my dog an Indian name” and “Do you get to go to college for free,” it takes only a short time before one of them reaches “bingo.”

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