Walking the Ojibwe Path: A Memoir in Letters to Joshua

In Walking the Ojibwe Path, Richard Wagamese shares his own path through life, including separation from his family, substance abuse, incarceration, and the discovery of books and writing. He also braids this story with the teachings of his people, which teach that animals were the teachers of human beings until greed and a desire to control the more-than-human world led to anger, fear, and alienation.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 224 pages
Publication date: 31 August 2023
Publisher: Milkweed Editions

We may not be able to rekindle the flames that once burned bright in our village communities, but we can hold onto the embers of those fires within our hearts and use them as a source of inspiration to ignite new flames in a different world.

Ojibwe tradition holds that fathers are responsible for guiding their children through life, imparting the ancient wisdom that we are all interconnected, both animate and inanimate, as we rely on the one pure breath that the Creator breathed life into the Universe.

In this captivating new installment of the Seedbank series, Richard Wagamese, in his intimate letters to his six-year-old son from whom he was estranged, fulfills this traditional duty with grace and humility. He shares his own journey through life, encompassing moments of separation from his family, struggles with substance abuse, incarceration, and ultimately the transformative power of books and writing. Wagamese intertwines his personal narrative with the teachings of his people, where animals served as teachers to humanity until greed and a desire to control the more-than-human world led to anger, fear, and a profound sense of alienation.

Walking the Ojibwe Path is a remarkable memoir that doubles as a profound exploration of a rich indigenous cosmology. It is an unforgettable journey that will leave readers deeply moved and enlightened.

Weight: 292g
Dimension: 139 x 268 x 16 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781571313942