Medicine Walk

Richard Wagamese’s Medicine Walk (2014) follows 16-year-old Franklin Starlight on his journey to find the perfect burial site for his terminally ill father, Eldon Starlight, a member of the Ojibway tribe of Indigenous peoples. Frank carries Eldon on horseback into the wilderness where Eldon wishes to die in the traditional manner of Ojibway warriors—facing East so that he can see the last sunrise of his last day on earth.

Eldon abandoned Franklin, who goes by Frank, as an infant. Bunky, a white man, raised Frank from infancy according to the ways of the wilderness. As the only Indigenous boy at school, Frank’s life hasn’t been easy. The other kids shun and distrust him because of his heritage. Bunky teaches Frank what he can about Indigenous customs, but Frank grows up disconnected from his Indigenous community. Though Frank loves Bunky dearly, Frank resents not having had a traditional upbringing.

Frank has only met Eldon a couple of times in his life, and their meetings never end well. Eldon makes promises that he can’t keep because he succumbs to alcohol, and Frank is tired of giving Eldon more chances. However, now that Eldon has only days left to live, he wants to make peace with Frank.