Lost In The Barrens

“Not twenty miles away was the settlement of a band of Woodland Cree Indians. These fine and sturdy people had long been Angus Macnair’s best friends and they soon became Jamie’s friends as well.”

This passage assists readers in orienting themselves to the landscape that contains white trappers who live in permanent, fixed structures and the Cree, who live in similar structures in the forests less than 20 miles away. Likewise, the proximity allows for friendships, cooperation, and alliances. Later it is revealed that the Cree wear jeans and T-shirts, hunt only with rifles and ammunition, and have taken many white men’s habits and tools into their camp, including axes and hatchets, pots and pans, and other metal objects. The Cree are unique in their fusion with the white trappers as the Denésuliné and Inuit tribes encountered later in the novel are largely free of outside influence, save for a desire to hunt with rifles over bows.

“Alphonse watched with a smile. ‘When the dog pup and the fox cub play together, the gods are pleased,’ he said.”

Alphonse, leader of the Woodland Cree, watches his son Awasin and his son’s friend Jamie wrestle along the lakeshore. He views inclusion and unity among people as a natural condition of the human species. Although fox and dog do not often play, when they do there is an innocence and naturalness to it that the Cree leader recognizes in the opposing and similar temperaments of the children at play. Alphonse will later welcome Peetyuk into his tribe and his home as a second son, again demonstrating his belief that brotherhood and friendship are natural to welcome and celebrate.

“In this tent-camp of the Idthen Eldeli men lived a life that had been almost unchanged for a thousand years. Though they had rifles now instead of bows and arrows, they were untouched by most of the ways of the white man’s world. They lived in the old way, and worshiped the ancient gods.”

Denikazi and his people, the so-called Deer Eaters, are remarkably different from the Cree whom Jamie and Awasin know. Where the Cree have adopted some of the tools and customs of the white trappers, the Denésuliné have not, with the exception of rifles. They follow traditional customs and spiritual practices.

“‘A fool you may well be,’ he said slowly, ‘but a brave fool. You may come to the head of Idthen-tua, but no farther. Follow the east shore of the lake. You will not have me to guide you for I wait for no one now.’”

Denikazi warns Jamie and Awasin not to fall behind, lest they be abandoned to the wilderness. His warning, repeated multiple times on the long journey north, foreshadows the boys’ getting lost. Eventually, Denikazi leaves the boys on the bank of the lake and sees them again that season. Denikazi is a tough but fair leader, one who asks much of his men but of himself as well. He asked the boys to follow specific orders for their safety, but the boys disobey. Almost immediately, Awasin recognizes their mistake and what it costs them. Awasin respects and admires Denikazi and realizes he has a deep connection to the environment that Awasin does not yet have.

“‘There have been great changes in the way of things since I was a youth,’ he began slowly, ‘and it seems that the deer too have changed their ways.’”

When they find The Killing Place empty of deer, Denikazi is thoughtful and reflective. He will rely on legends, stories, knowledge passed down from fishermen and hunters, and his own assessment of the weather and caribou movements to formulate a plan that will ensure his people have food to survive the winter. Denikazi makes hard decisions when faced with bad news, but he is not emotional and does not pity himself or others.

“‘Sometimes you chatter like a child!’ he exclaimed. ‘You know nothing about this land, but Denikazi knows it well. You are like the weasel that climbed into the cook-stove to see if it was hot, and got roasted for his trouble!’”

Awasin is angry at Jamie after his suggestion that they hunt deer themselves after Denikazi told them to wait by the shore. Awasin knows that Denikazi is a good and fair leader who makes decisions based on his vast knowledge. Awasin also knows that Jamie has spent only a year in the Canadian frontier and knows very little. However, he gives in to Jamie’s curiosity and insistence and soon finds himself in a bad situation, exactly as predicted, in his defiance of Denikazi’s orders.

“‘Ravens!’ Awasin answered. ‘The brothers of the deer. Look, Jamie, there must be dozens of them!’”

Awasin has a wealth of insight about the environment because of his lifetime of exposure to nature. When he spots the ravens in the distance, he instinctively knows that deer must be nearby. In contrast, Jamie knows almost nothing of the harsh environment, the animals and their habits, or how to interact with the natural world. Nevertheless, he charges arrogantly ahead, insisting his ideas are as valid as Awasin’s ideas.

“Awasin was deeply disturbed, but not for anything would he have admitted to Jamie that he was also a little frightened. Somewhere to the north, he knew, Eskimo eyes were probably watching that same flight of ravens and preparing for the hunt.”

The stakes are high for Awasin and Jamie as they venture into Inuit territory to see the Great Stone House and possibly the herds of caribou. Because Denikazi and his men in the Denésuliné hunting party fear the Inuit, both Jamie and especially Awasin are wary of the Inuit, who have been described as violent, bloodthirsty people. Later, this portrayal will be revealed as not only false but also deeply flawed in its origin and history. Though the Denésuliné believed the Inuit eat raw meat, the boys learn they not only cook their food but live in heated igloos that surpass the craftsmanship and hospitality of their own deerskin-domed tents.

“‘If Denikazi had come down the Kazon he could have got to Deer Mountain in half the time.’ Awasin let this remark pass. He knew that Denikazi had been wise. The boys were now deep into Eskimo country while Denikazi was safely to the west.”

The boys are different in their temperaments and personalities, with Awasin demonstrating calm and wisdom while Jamie offers an arrogant, risky counterpoint. Jamie does not respect Denikazi or his wisdom while Awasin understands that Denikazi’s decisions are designed to keep his men safe so they can fulfill the vital duty of delivering meat to their starving camp. Awasin understands the burden of leadership and the weight of responsibility that Denikazi experiences as he leads not only his Denésuliné hunting party but also a Cree and white boy, uniting or destroying alliances in the process.

“‘You didn’t think a rapid could drown me, did you?’ he asked. ‘Why, I’m half fish. And you must be half muskrat—you were underwater long enough to grow webs between your toes!’”

After nearly drowning and falling unconscious, Awasin awakens in a state of stoic comedy that Jamie finds bizarre. Jamie later learns and understands that Awasin and his people face hardship with stoicism because the past lies only in the past, where it cannot be changed. This culturally shared attitude allows Awasin and his people to look forward toward solutions and avoid languishing in guilt, pity, or fear. Jamie admires this trait in Awasin, but, despite trying, he is unable to duplicate it in himself.

“Jamie, who had done the leading while all went well, and who had once taunted his friend with being frightened, was now the more frightened of the two. Awasin, the cautious one who had held back from Jamie’s wild plans, seemed neither frightened nor particularly upset. His own life and the life of his people had always been filled with sudden and crushing accidents. And to survive these blows of fate the Crees had learned to waste no time worrying about what was past.”

Jamie is shocked by their near-death experience in the sinking of the canoe in the rapids. He is injured and believes he will need to be left behind to die. In this line of thinking, Jamie is quickly consumed by self-pity and guilt, and he cannot think clearly about the present or the future. By contrast, Awasin moves on quickly from his brush with death and is already making a fire and thinking about food while Jamie spirals out of control emotionally.

“Tensely they kept watch through the dark hours, their rifles cocked and lying on their knees. Centuries of warfare with the Eskimos—of ambushes and dawn raids—were in their memories, and by morning they were two very frightened men.”

Denikazi, the chief of the Denésuliné and leader of the hunting party to the Barrens, leaves two of his men in charge of Awasin and Jamie on the banks of the lake near The Killing Place. However, when the boys vanish to search for Great Stone House, the men follow knowing the stakes are life and death. The two men know and understand the dangers of the Inuit and the wild beasts of the Barrens. These are risks the boys shrugged off in their quest for adventure.

“‘It’s covered with some kind of writing,’ he said wonderingly. ‘Queer-looking, like picture writing.’ He paused, looking back at the distant crest of the hill where the ruins stood. ‘I’ll bet if we could read it, we’d know the story of those old Vikings at the Stone House.’”

Jamie talks Awasin into leaving Denikazi’s lakeshore camp to see what the Great Stone House is. After their canoe crashes and they nearly drown, other tasks take priority. At last, the boys find themselves in the structure, where Jamie finds a sword, dagger, helmet, skull, and a piece of metal with Viking writing. While Mowat has been criticized for including Viking lore in what is otherwise a relatively authentic survival account, others suggest that Viking relics found farther east leave open the possibility that Norsemen traveled through the remote wilderness. Mowat wrote of Viking artifacts in remote northern Canada in several of his books.

“‘We’d better face it, Awasin,’ he said. ‘There isn’t a chance for us to get out of here alive before the winter comes. But if the Eskimos can live here all winter long, then so can we!’”

At this pivotal turning point in the novel, Jamie attempts to replicate the calm, stoic nature of his friend as he reveals what both boys have come to realize. Throughout the adventure in the Barrens, Jamie is learning several things. The first is that he should always focus on the present or the future and not the past. The second is that he should never fight nature but rather work within it. These considerations are both at play as Jamie adapts himself to the circumstances of his self-made predicament.

“‘What’ll happen to their fawns?’ ‘Forget about it,’ Awasin replied shortly. ‘I hate it as much as you do. But the fawns will be all right. They’re old enough to be on their own by now.’”

Despite the dangers they face, the boys demonstrate their innocence and child-like empathy as they are faced with the prospect of shooting does within sight of their fawns in order to survive. Once the nine does are slayed, the boys feel sick from the slaughter. The guilt is made worse by the gentle friendliness of one fawn in particular, who follows the boys wherever they go, including into their tent and eventually their cabin in Hidden Valley. Later, when their pet fawn is killed by wolves, Awasin points out that had they left the fawn alone, it would have known how to hide or run from the predators, and thus survive.

“As the crisp night air fell over the camp, it carried away with it the rich smell of frying whitefish. Beside the fire the two boys lay in complete contentment. Jamie sighed and said, ‘The way I feel right now I could live out here forever, and love it too!’”

Jamie has come to love the wild, just as his uncle Angus foreshadowed in the opening scenes in The Pas. He finds himself at one with nature, able to provide food, warmth, and comfort for himself. At last Jamie has found a place where he feels content, though his contentment will be fleeting once winter arrives.

“Awasin smiled. ‘The Crees used to say: Courage comes not from a strong heart, but from a full stomach! So we should be pretty brave!’ He was silent for a moment. ‘We’ll need all the courage we can find,’ he added. Awasin was staring out over the darkening plains, and he was no longer smiling.”

After the boys decide to prepare to hunker down for winter in the Barrens, they begin to hunt, forage, and build a life for themselves. Once fed, Awasin understands that food is only part of the problem. They will face cold, predators, scavengers, and always there is the fear of the Inuit finding them. Courage may come from a full belly, but the belly always grows hungry again.

“Once or twice Jamie eyed the pet fawn speculatively, for if it was a case of eat or die, the fawn was, after all, a caribou. The fawn seemed to understand these glances and to outdo itself in being friendly.”

The boys are lonely in the great barren plains, and the fawn brings them comfort and companionship, much like a dog. Still, through the slaughter of the does, the boys have lost their innocence and are aware that they need food, they will have no choice but to kill their companion. A desire to survive makes the boys lose their innocence. They become unwitting actors in the food chain, destined to make hard decisions about life and death, either for themselves or for others.

“‘There’s a Cree legend about that,’ he replied. ‘It tells of a time when the whole northern plains were all water and the water was filled with strange monsters.’”

When Jamie and Awasin find a pebble beach in the middle of the Barrens, they conclude that the area must once have been part of the ocean. Jamie at first suspects that Awasin will mock this knowledge, which he likely learned in boarding school in Toronto. However, both boys appear to have the same knowledge from different sources: Jamie from traditional education in the Western tradition, and Awasin from legend passed down through oral histories among the Cree. The result is that both boys understand time and history, and both learn to recognize the value in their foil’s methodology.

“Jamie remembered what old Denikazi had said about the migration of the bucks: ‘They come like thunder, and for the space of a day the world is theirs. Then like the thunder they are gone, and nothing moves upon the frozen plains till spring returns again.’”

Awasin is a strong leader who takes the wisdom of his elders to heart as he observes and learns about the world, the environment, and his place within the natural order. Denikazi, though long ago returned to his people in the south, continues to offer advice to Awasin as a young leader in the form of lingering advice.

“Rage and sorrow were mixed in Jamie’s heart. Otanak had meant much to them, for he had helped immeasurably to dispel the great emptiness of the world they lived in. Jamie was not prepared for what Awasin had to say. ‘Best forget about Otanak, Jamie,’ Awasin said. ‘No use blaming the wolves. If anybody is to blame, it’s us. It almost always happens when you take a wild animal and make a pet of it. Sometime or other it has to face up to what its wild brothers meet every day—and then it doesn’t know enough to help itself. Sooner or later something like this was sure to happen.’”

Awasin foreshadowed Otanak’s death when they took the fawn into their care after killing its mother. Awasin warned that the fawn was old enough to stay on its own, but because it offered companionship and comfort, he did not chase it away. Now he understands that what he and Jamie did was steal from Otanak a youth spent as an apprentice to the wilderness, leaving the fawn defenseless against the wolves. Despite this harsh lesson, within hours Jamie and Awasin find two dogs and plan to capture and domesticate them.

“‘And we’ll stay at Hidden Valley. Stay there as long as we have to. I’ve learned my lesson. As long as we went along with things the way they were, and never tried to fight against this country, we were all right. But when we set out on this trip south we were standing up to the Barrens and sort of daring them. We were going to bulldoze our way through. And we’re lucky to be still alive!’ Awasin looked long into his friend’s face. ‘I never thought you’d understand about that, Jamie,’ he said at last. ‘White men don’t as a rule. Most of them think they can beat the northland in any fight. A lot of them have found out differently, and didn’t live to tell about it. My people know differently. It’s hard to put into words, but I think you understand. If you fight against the spirits of the north you will always lose. Obey their laws and they’ll look after you.’”

At this character-defining turning point, Jamie at last understands the Barrens as Awasin and Denikazi understand them. He no longer wishes to push against the stream of the environment’s natural flow but to learn to move with the current. In this realization, Jamie is able to quickly determine that their only means of survival lies in waiting until spring to go home. They must, like many animals and plants, retreat and wait out the winter.

“‘Today my son came back from the shadow world,’ he said. ‘I know a great happiness because of this. It is the greater happiness because he has brought me yet another son.’”

Alphonse, leader of the Cree, demonstrates his willingness to be open, inclusive, and welcoming to those around him. He offers these lines on meeting Peetyuk, a half-white, half-Inuit boy whose igloo provided shelter and food when Awasin and Jamie were near death, and whose people offered friendship and support in the harsh wilderness, gaining nothing in return. Alphonse understands that surviving in a harsh territory is hard enough without enemies. He was responsible for bringing peace between the Cree and Denésuliné, and he now takes in an Inuit boy. There is hope for peace between all the warring peoples of northern Manitoba with leadership like Alphonse’s.