Last Standing Woman

The Storyteller, also known as Ishkwegaabawiikwe (Last Standing Woman), is a novel by Winona LaDuke that follows the White Earth Anishinaabe people's struggle to reclaim stewardship of their land, bring their ancestors home, and stay connected to their culture. It spans seven generations from the 1800s to the early 2000s and is based on the author's own experiences.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 360 pages
Publication date: 01 September 2023
Publisher: Highwater Press

The Storyteller, also known as Ishkwegaabawiikwe (Last Standing Woman), was born at the turn of the 21st century, carrying the memories of her people's past. The White Earth Anishinaabe people have lived on the same land for over a thousand years, among towering white pines and rolling hills. Each generation is born, lives out its life, and is buried there.

However, the arrival of European missionaries forever changes the community. Government policies begin to rob the people of their land, piece by piece. Missionaries and Indian agents work to outlaw the ceremonies that the Anishinaabeg have practised for centuries. Grave-robbing anthropologists dig up ancestors and whisk them away to museums as artifacts. Logging operations destroy traditional sources of food, pushing the White Earth people to the brink of starvation.

Battling addiction, violence, and corruption, each member of White Earth must find their own path of resistance as they struggle to reclaim stewardship of their land, bring their ancestors home, and stay connected to their culture and to each other.

In this highly anticipated 25th anniversary edition of her debut novel, Winona LaDuke weaves a nonlinear narrative of struggle and triumph, resistance and resilience, spanning seven generations from the 1800s to the early 2000s.

Weight: 476g
Dimension: 215 x 141 x 22 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781774920527
Edition number: 25th Anniversary ed.