Warrior Girl Unearthed

Among the novel’s strengths is how it highlights various “ways” of being Anishinaabe, none less valid than any other. Which characters highlight this diversity? What personal, cultural, and historic factors influence how these characters experience their identities and knowledge of their cultural practices and language?

While Perry’s Anishinaabe ancestry deeply influences her, she acknowledges how her Black ancestry (and lack of knowledge about it) influences her too. How does Perry’s Afro-Indigenous identity influence her character, especially regarding how people outside the community perceive her? How does it color her perception of the relationship between her Anishinaabe community’s struggles and those of the Black community across the US?

What is Warrior Girl’s function in the novel? How does Warrior Girl propel the plot forward? What is Perry’s relationship to her, and how are they similar? What is the double meaning of the title, Warrior Girl Unearthed?

The wiindigoo symbolize a threat against those in Perry’s community, usually women. Who are the wiindigoo in the novel, and why does it use this image to discuss them? What strategies does the community use to combat wiindigoo?

In addition to the remains of human ancestors, the novel discusses many artifacts, including ceremonial pipes and moccasins. Pick one (besides the black ash baskets) and research its cultural significance. Use both research and the novel to discuss the object’s cultural role. How does Perry interact with the object? Does it symbolize or indicate anything larger about Anishinaabe society, as Perry finds with the black ash baskets?

In her Author’s Note, Boulley writes, “Warrior Girl Unearthed is about the need to control Indigenous bodies—both in the past and today” (391). In the context of Perry’s observations, what are the differences and similarities between how Indigenous bodies are controlled in the past and present? How do Lockhart, Fenton, Leer-wah, and Edwards each attempt to seize this control, and what are the consequences? How do past events affect how Perry sees her place in these characters’ eyes?

While Warrior Girl Unearthed can be read and enjoyed without having read Firekeeper’s Daughter, many events of the first novel have continuing repercussions in the second. Write an essay about how the events of the first novel influence Warrior Girl Unearthed. Why do the issues explored in the former retain influence in the latter? How do those events affect both individuals and the Sugar Island community long term?

Research the Indigenous communities around you. Whose land are you on and what is the history of this land? An online tool like “Native Land” can help you identify the Indigenous communities near you. Many Indigenous communities maintain websites about their current initiatives: What are the current activities and efforts of these communities?