Louis Erdrich's Tracks - An Invasion of the White Man

Tracks - An Invasion of the White Man The characters in Louis Erdrich's Tracks all reside around the fictional lake Matchimanito. Although it may not be an actual geographic location, the name of the lake serves as a reminder of the Ojibwa myth of Matchi Manito. Also known as Misshepeshu, the Matchi Manito is the ever-present water monster that potentially lurks around any body of water. It is the everyday interaction with these manitos that …

…a whole race of Native Americans while Nanapush represents traditional Ojibwa life. However, Nanapush is old and dying, right along with the culture of the Chippewa people. After hundreds of years, they remain severed from their roots, unable to reclaim their land or their innocence, engulfed in a democracy they are forced to call their own. Works Cited Erdrich, Louise. Tracks. New York: Henry Holt. 1988. Vecsey, Christopher. Traditional Ojibwa Religion. Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society. 1983: 72-83.