Firekeeper's Daughter

Firekeeper’s Daughter has four sections, each labeled one of the cardinal directions. The directions are symbolic of where Daunis is in her hero’s journey at that particular section of the book. The story begins in the eastern direction, where all journeys begin, according to the Ojibwe tradition. Part 2 takes place in the south, which is said in the book to be a time when people both wonder and wander. Daunis moves into the southern direction after she makes her decision to help Ron and Jamie as a CI. The majority of the book takes place in the south. Part 3 moves into the west, which is a time involving constant change. This section begins right after Daunis is kidnapped by Dana Firekeeper and dumped in the trailer on Sugar Island. Daunis has completely cracked open the case. Now, everything she had questioned and almost everything she wanted to see and know is going to be revealed to her. The last section takes place in the north, which is a “time for resting and reflecting in the place of dreams, stories and truth” (Part 4 title page). It is here, in the final section, that Daunis dances again, where she tells Teddie’s girls about going away to school, where she wears her regalia into the powwow grounds and tells the story of who she was and who she’s become.