Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
Storytelling: Tradition and Preservation in Louise Erdrich's Tracks
Author(s): Jennifer Sergi
Source: World Literature Today, Vol. 66, No. 2, From This World: Contemporary American
Indian Literature (Spring, 1992), pp. 279-282
Published by: Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/40148133 .
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Storytelling: Tradition and Preservation in Louise
Erdrich's Tracks
By JENNIFERSERGI Withoutstoriesthere is no
articulationof experience:
people would be unable to
understandandcelebratethe experiencesof self, community,and world.And so culturesvalue the tellers
of stories.The storytellertakes what he or she tells
- his or her own or that reportedby
fromexperience
others and in turn makesit the experienceof those
who arelisteningto the tale (WB,87). The storyteller
relies on memory (his or hers and his or her listener's)and createsa chainof traditionthatpasseson
a happeningfrom generationto generation.
Louise Erdrich is just such a storyteller.In her
thirdnovel, Tracks(1988),she not only chroniclesthe
story of the Chippewas'struggle to preserve their
land and culture;she also gives us the story of these
stories and their tellers as well. She is telling this
novel "the Indian way."The "artistryof the Indian
'word sender' characterizesreality: peoples, landscapes, seasons, tonalizes, lightens, spiritualizes,
brightens, and darkens human experience,all the
while working with the reality that is" (KL, 223).
This reality is shown to readersby two storytellers
who alternate chapters, in separate,very distinct
voices: Pauline, a young mixed-bloodwho is confused and psychologicallydamagedby her unbalanced commitment to Catholic martyrdom and
Chippewatradition;and Nanapush,a wise old tribal
leadergifted in the ancient art of storytelling.It is
throughNanapushthat Erdrichcapturesthe act of
Indian storytelling.It is written down, but Erdrich
wishes to recordand preservenot just the memories,
intertwinedcloselywith personalhistoryand a sense
of loss, but a cultural tradition, one that is oral,
performed,formulaic,and perpetuatedby the storyteller, who learns the rhythms and melodies- the
craft- and expands,ornaments,and variesthe tradition his or her own way. Thus Erdrich's Native
American,and more specificallyChippewa,"tracks"
areevidentin her narratives,if not as those of the one
who experiencedit, then as those of the one who
reportsit.
How this oral tradition and history is being recordedis important,therefore,and "tracingthe connective threads between the cultural past and its
expressionin the present"becomes a primaryfocus
of scholars as well as novelists (KL, 2). How are
translatorsand NativeAmericanartists,like Erdrich,
bringingthe oral and mythic traditionsof their ancestorsinto print for native and non-nativereaders?
Erdrich does this in a number of ways in Tracks:
1) she capturesthe formandpurposeof oralstorytell-
ing; 2) she includes the contents of Chippewamyth
and legend;and 3) she preservesthese culturaltraditions in a voice that harksbackto the old as it creates
anew.
Kenneth Lincoln, a Native American literature
scholar,is also exploringthe natureof the transition
from oralityto writing, and within his definition of
Indianstorytellinghe describesthe "story-backed
old
man giv[ing] the child eyes and voices, narratives
that touch and are carriedfor life: words incarnate,
flesh-and-bloodties, an embodiedimagination.And
the tribal backboneextends through ancestorswho
carryhistoryin theirbodies"(KL, 222).The fictional
old man"is Erdrich's
prototypeof this "story-backed
narrator,Nanapush.Nanapushis telling the story to
his adoptedgranddaughterLulu: "Mygirl, I saw the
passingof times you will neverknow."He knowsthe
old ways: "I guided the last buffalohunt. I saw the
last bearshot. I trappedthe last beaverwith a pelt of
morethantwo years'growth.I spokealoudthe words
of the governmenttreaty, and refused to sign the
settlement papersthat would take away our woods
and lake"(2). He also tells Lulu how she fits into this
history:"Youwere born on the day we shot the last
bear"(58).
Moreover,much as in Indianstorytelling,it is not
only whatNanapushhas to say and to whom,but also
the way in which he says it that is important.
Nanapush'snarrativestyle points to the novel'sroots
in Chippewaoraltradition.Erdrichis sensitiveto the
immediatedifferencebetweenthe printedword and
the spoken, and she effects an accommodationbetween her printed text and her narrator'sdelivery.
The stylistic devices of repetition and parallelism,
employed as early as page 2 of the novel, work to
createtension,balance,and symmetryin the wordsof
Nanapush.His wordssuggestthe rhythmsof speech:
at key moments in the narrative,readers sense a
whisperedstatement,an abruptphrase,a long pause.
Before he tells the story of how Margaretloses her
braids,for instance,he leads in with: "I can only tell
it step by step" (109). Erdrichalso continuallyand
skillfullyremindsus of his audienceand the intimacy
attachedto their relationship:"This is where you
come in, my girl, so listen" (57). Lulu sometimes
grows tired of the long story, and in his own style
Nanapushmanagesto reprimandthe youngsterand,
in the process,remindher of her rootsand her role in
this storytellingtradition:"I madeher sit down and
listen, just the way you are sitting now. Yourmother
alwaysshowedthe properrespectto me. Evenwhen I
boredher, she madea good effortat pretendingsome
interest"(178).
280
WORLD LITERATURETODAY
Erdrich'snarratornot only servesto remindus of
the importanceof the ancient art of storytellingto a
tribe, but his name also recalls the novel's debt to
Chippewamythic tradition.In Chippewawoodland
who
myth Nanapush is the trickster-transformer
"wandersin mythic time and space between tribal
experiencesand dreams"(GV, 3). He is a teacherand
healerand upholderof ancientand living traditions;
but he is also human. He is sometimes prone to
violence and overactiveappetites.This paradoxical
characteris part of Chippewacreationand ceremonial stories. In my researchof Chippewatradition,
myth, and legend the storiesaboutthe trickstervary,
as does the spelling of his name (most likely because
of phonetic transcriptionfrom oral tradition), but
there are several similarities in all of them to
Erdrich'sNanapush.(I must pause here to make a
distinction.Chippewais a comparativelymodernand
English term for the tribe; an older term is Ojibway.
The name for these people in the languageitself is
Anishinaabe.
Erdrichuses both ChippewaandAnishinaabe in the novel; all three were found in my
research.)In most of the translationshe possesses
magic and wit. He plays tricks and is the victim of
tricks. He is fond of and is good at hunting. He
travels in a birchbarkcanoe, and the Anishinaabe
honor and respect him. In chapter 3 of Tracks
Nanapushtells us partof the originof his name:"My
fathersaid, 'Nanapush.That's what you'll be called.
Becauseit's got to do with trickeryand living in the
bush. Because it's got to do with something a girl
can't resist. The first Nanapushstole fire. You will
steal hearts'" (33). Erdrich'sOld Nanapush,then,
servesa triplepurposein remindingreadersof Tracks
of the importanceof tribal tradition,mythic condition, and storytelling.
Along with this trickster figure, there is other
evidence in the novel that Erdrichis interestedin
preservingand presentingChippewaculturaltradition to her audience. I cannot know for sure if
Erdrichheard these stories as a child, read the accounts and researchof Chippewamyth, tradition,
legend, and religion,or discussedthem as a member
of an academiccommunity.However,I do knowthey
areincorporated,integrated,and an importantpartof
her novel. So, like the creationfigureNanabushand
her storytellerNanapush,Erdrichimaginesand desires her own variationof the mythic stories for the
I
Louise Erdrich, 1989
SERGI
enjoyment and knowledge of her modern reading
audience.
The setting of her novel is the fictional Matchimanito Lake. It may not be a real geographiclocation, but MatchiManitois an evil manitoin modern
Ojibwamyth (CV, 82). The name of the lake is not
the only reminder of Chippewa myth in Tracks.
There is talk of windigosand manitous,buryingthe
dead in trees, dreamcatchers,Jeesekeewinini(medicine man),and "Anishinabecharacters,the old gods,"
as Nanapushrefersto them (110). In chapter6 Pauline gives us a description of "the heaven of the
Chippewa,"whereFleurgoes to gamblefor the life of
her child. The gambling crowd "play for drunkenness, or sorrow,or loss of mind. They play for ease,
they play for penitence, and sometimes for living
souls" (160).
Gerald Vizenor, a mixed-blood member of the
MinnesotaChippewatribe as well as a teacherand
scholar,recordsa numberof the oral creationstories
281
canoes and drownedIndians."In some tales, however, it "fedand shelteredthose who fell throughthe
ice."
Erdrich uses this dialectical being throughout
Tracks.When Fleur returns to Matchimanitofrom
Argus,the townspeopleattributegood fishing and no
lost boats to Fleur's ability to "keep the lake thing
controlled"(35). Her specialconnectionto Misshepeshu is even thoughtto be sexual,and the paternityof
Lulu is questioned:"Lulu'seyes blazedbrightas his,
. . . eyes hollow and gold" (70). Just before Pauline
takesher vows andbecomesSisterLeopolda,she tells
the story (in chapter8) of her entanglementwith the
lake monster. For Pauline, who has just recovered
fromself-inflictedburns,the lake monsterrepresents
the devil. She is delusionaland very confusedabout
her religious faith and her Chippewatraditionalbeliefs: "Christhad hidden out of frailty,overcomeby
the glitter of copperscales,appalledat the creature's
unwinding length and luxury. New devils require
in his book The People Named the Chippewa: Narrative
new gods" (195). She makes a last visit to MatchiHistories.In his prologue Vizenor recounts a story manito
"determinedto wait for my tempter,
told by Odinigun, an elder from the White Earth the oneLake,
who
enslaved the ignorant, who damned
Reservation,telling of Naanabozho'sgambling in them with belief"
(200). She tells her story of a
"the land of darkness."In this story Naanabozho
violent
encounter
with the monsterin which
sexual,
must play the greatgamblerfor "the destiniesof the
she
him
with
her rosary, but the thing
strangles
tricksterand tribal people of the woodland."The
a
human
.
. . the physical form of
"grew
shape
tone and,of course,the settingof thesetwo storiesare
(202-3). She feels no guilt for
similar; the stakes and energies are high. The out- Napoleon Morrissey"
the
father
of her child, because"he had
murdering
comes are very different,however:Fleur'sbaby dies,
...
as
the
water
appeared
thing, glass breastplateand
while Naanabozhosucceedsin not losing his tribes'
iron
Pauline believed she
(203).
burning
rings"
spirit to the land of darkness.
"tamed
the
monster
that
night, sent [him] to the
Oneof the mostprevalentand important"signs"of bottom of
the
lake
and
chained
there by [her]
Chippewamyth in Tracksis Misshepeshu,the water deed. . . . [She] was a poor and [him]
noble
creaturenow,
monster.In the novel Misshepeshu'sorigin is tied to dressedin earth
like
in
furs
like
Moses PilChrist,
the arrival of the Pillager clan on Matchimanito
medicine
man
and
Fleur's
lager
[the
brother],
draped
Lake.The monsterwas thoughtto be responsiblefor
Fleur's powers and the demise of her enemies. in snow or simple air" (203^). This description
symbolizesthe utterconfusionsome Chippewacould
Pauline describeshim in chapter2:
feel because of the crisis in their belief system
He's a devil, that one, love hungry with desire and
brought on by Christianinfluences. Of course Paumaddened for the touch of young girls, the strong and
line is an extremeexampleof the pull betweenCathodaring especially, the ones like Fleur.
lic teachings and Chippewatraditions,but Erdrich
Our mothers warn us that we'll think he's handsome,
uses the lake monster,the underwatermanito Misfor he appears with green eyes, copper skin, a mouth
shepeshu, in this case as a symbol of the crisis of
he
into
his
tender as a child's. But if you fall
arms,
identity for Pauline.
sprouts horns, fangs, claws, fins. His feet are joined as
one and his skin, brass scales, rings to the tough. ... He
Misshepeshuserves severalsymbolic purposesfor
holds you under. Then he takes the body of a lion, a fat
Erdrich: he is an example of native tradition and
brown worm, or a familiar man. . . . He's a thing of dry
lore; he bringsthe crisisbetweenChippewamyth and
foam, a thing of death by drowning, the death a ChipCatholicteachingsto a state of rupturein the novel;
pewa cannot survive. (11)
and the languageused to describehim becomessymErdrich'sdescription of the lake monster is very bolic of the storytelling itself. According to
similarto that given by ChristopherVecsey,another Nanapush:
scholarinterestedin recordingChippewaoral myth.
Talk is an old man's last vice. I opened my mouth and
Accordingto his accountof this Chippewamyth, the
wore out the boy's ears, but that is not my fault. I
UnderwaterManitois "associatedwith both the lion
shouldn't have been caused to live so long, shown so
and the serpent"(CV, 74). It inspiredboth awe and
much of death, had to squeeze so many stories in the
corners of my crain. They're all attached, and once I start
terror,as well as reverence,and was thought to be
there is no end to telling because they're hooked from
responsiblefor both malicious and good deeds: "It
one side to the other, mouth to tail. (46)
could cause rapidsand stormywaters;it often sank
282
WORLDLITERATURETODAY
The stories are circular and continuous and serpentlike. By telling tribal stories, singing old songs,
Nanapushgives his culture a chance for continuation: "Duringthe yearof my sickness,when I wasthe
last one left, I saved myself by startinga story. ... I
got well by talking. Death could not get a word in
edgewise, grew discouraged,and traveledon" (46).
He not only discourageddeath, but he encouraged
life and continued his name with his storytelling.
When a priest comes to baptize Fleur's illegitimate
child, Nanapushtells him the baby is his: "There
were so many tales, so many possibilities, so many
lies. The waterswere so muddy I thought I'd give
them anotherstir"(61). He latersavesthis child with
his talking. Nanapush knew "certain cure songs,
words that throw the sick one into a dream . . .
holding you motionless with talking." Lulu was
"lulled with the sound of [his] voice" and cured of
frostbitewith Nanapush'sancient gift (167).
For Nanapush, being a talker was a form of
survival; he used his words and his "brain as a
weapon"(118).This gave him his identity as a tricksteranda leader(32). He learnedto askquestionsand
tell stories "without limit or end" (145). As much
poweras the spoken word has for Nanapush,he has
learned to fear the printed words the white man
brings to his land: "Nanapushis a name that loses
power every time that it is written and stored in a
governmentfile" (32). Still, when he is aboutto lose
his land, he admitsto FatherDamien that he should
havetriedto "wieldinfluencewith this [new]method
of leadingotherswith a pen andpiece of paper"(209).
As Nanapushis exploringthe dichotomousnature
of the transition from orality to writing, so is
Erdrich.Readersare learningof the Chippewas'oral
traditionthrougha printedtext. Erdrichshows this
dualitythroughNanapush.Althoughhe expresseshis
disgust with the "barbedpens" of the bureaucrats
encroachingon his people, making them "a tribe of
file cabinets and triplicates,a tribe of single-space
documents,directives,policy.A tribeof pressedtrees.
A tribe of chicken-scratchthat can be scatteredby a
wind, diminished to ashes by one struck match"
(225). Nanapush tells us that he saves his granddaughterand bringsher to his home with papersand
records from the church: "I became a bureaucrat
myself ... to drawyou home"(225). It is interesting
that Erdrich chooses the word draw in this case,
evokingan imageof the pen ratherthan of the voice.
She realizesthe conflict,to which she in partcontributes: the Indian"oraltraditionof medicine,religion,
history, and tribal ceremony bridged from living
ritual performanceinto the marketplaceof print"
(KL, 82). Nevertheless,for Nanapushand the Native
Americans,the lastwordmustbe survival.His stories
preserveand pass along, tracingand trying to make
sense of living history.Erdrichgives us these stories
in print; throughher languageshe gives poetic voice
and historical witness to human events, which is
what all cultures expect from their storytellers.
Universityof Rhode Island
Works Cited
Victor Barnouw. WisconsinChippewaMyths and Their Relation to
ChippewaLife. Madison. University of Wisconsin Press. 1977.
Walter Benjamin. Illuminations. New York. Harcourt, Brace &
World. 1955. (References use the abbreviation WB.)
Louise Erdrich. Tracks. New York. Henry Holt. 1988.
Basil Johnston. OjibwayHeritage. New York. Columbia University
Press. 1976.
Ruth Landes. Ojibwa Religion and the Midewiwin. Madison. University of Wisconsin Press. 1968.
Kenneth Lincoln. Native AmericanRenaissance.Berkeley. University of California Press. 1983. (References use the abbreviation
KL.)
Christopher Vecsey. TraditionalOjibwa Religion and Its Historical
Changes. Philadelphia. American Philosophical Society. 1983.
(References use the abbreviation CV.)
Gerald Vizenor. The People Named the Chippewa:NarrativeHistories. Minneapolis. University of Minnesota Press. 1984. (References use the abbreviation GV.)