Sacred Heart Reads: The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich

Louise Erdrich has a beautiful body of work based on the Native American experience. In her latest book, she has incorporated her own family's story of her Grandfather's fight to save the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians from the Indian Termination Policy that was proposed in Congress in the 1950s.

Thomas Wazhashk, who is based on Louise Erdrich's grandfather, is the Nightwatchman at the Turtle Mountain Jewel-Baring Plant as well as a council member of Chippewa. In reviewing the latest set of documents sent to the council, he is deeply troubled by the new "emancipation bill" that is about to be presented to congress. This bill calls for the assimilation of the Native Americans and puts an end to the federal government's recognition of the sovereignty of tribes, and trusteeship over Indian reservations. Thomas decides to gather a group of the Turtle Mountain People to go to Washington to speak before a Senate Committee. As he goes about the reservation we meet a group of women who work at the jewel-baring plant, a family whose daughter was relocated and sold into sex work, a white family who purchased reservation land, two Morman Missiononaries, a School Teacher/Boxing Coach, a Ph.D. candidate, and a ghost.

There is so much to process in this book, it is hard to frame it all in one paragraph. I often found myself going back and re-reading passages to make sure I was truly understanding what was happening. Not because Ms. Erdrich's words were not clear, but because it was the first time I really took a hard look at the Native American Experience.

If you are looking for a thoughtfully written read during Native American Heritage Month, this would be a good one. So good, in fact, that it won this year's Pulitzer Prize for fiction.

– Review by Cecilia Gold

(Land Acknowledgement: Thámien Ancestral Muwekma Ohlone Territory)