Migration and Return to Ancestral Homelands in Moon of the Turning Leaves
The Meaning of Migration in Moon of the Turning Leaves
In Moon of the Turning Leaves, migration is never a simple escape from scarcity. It is a deliberate, collective act of returning to ancestral territory that the characters understand as both a survival strategy and a form of cultural renewal. The novel traces this movement from the depleted northern settlement of Shki-dnakiiwin to the island community of Oodenaang, showing that the journey itself—its rituals, dangers, and sacrifices—transforms the people who undertake it. Yet the return is not a nostalgic homecoming; it is a forward-looking reclamation of place, one that costs lives and forces the community to redefine what home means.
The Decision to Leave: Scarcity and the Call of Ancestors
The theme emerges early when the community faces environmental collapse. In the opening chapter, Nangohns catches fewer and smaller fish than usual, and the conversation with her father Evan turns to declining stocks and worries about winter food. The drought has also damaged berries and medicines, as Walter explains in the lodge meeting. Walter, the eldest survivor, argues that the people must return to their original homelands to the south, but he insists on scouting first. This decision is framed not as abandonment but as a return to a place the ancestors respected and loved. The community's history of scouting trips that ended in death or disappearance—like Isaiah and Kevin—adds a layer of risk, but Walter's authority and the urgency of survival push the plan forward.
The choice to leave is also a generational negotiation. Nangohns, only fifteen, insists on joining the scouting party, arguing that her hunting skills and bush knowledge make her essential. Her mother Nicole fears she will lose her innocence, but Nangohns counters that staying put is dangerous. This tension between protection and necessity shows that migration is not only a physical movement but a passing of responsibility to the next generation. When Nicole falls silent, Nangohns takes it as permission, and the family's quiet acceptance signals that the community's future depends on the young.
The Journey as Ritual and Risk
The departure itself is steeped in ceremony. Before leaving, the six walkers—Evan, Nangohns, Tyler, J.C., Amber, and Cal—enter a sweat lodge for a final cleansing, singing songs of healing and gratitude. The morning they leave, the community gathers on the shore, and the travelling song begins, a four-beat pulse that guides them through a line of dancers. This ritual framing elevates the journey from a mere trek to a sacred undertaking. The walkers carry tobacco and sage, and they offer tobacco to the spirits along the way, as when Amber presents semaa to the brothers Anakwad and Giizhik. The tobacco offering is a gesture of respect and a request for safe passage, reinforcing that the migrants are guests in territories that belong to other Anishinaabe peoples.
The journey itself is marked by both wonder and peril. The walkers encounter the thriving community of Saswin, where Linda, an elder, shares her dreams of other Anishinaabe communities and urges them to consider bringing their people south to join larger numbers. This moment complicates the idea of a single ancestral homeland: Linda suggests that strength lies in gathering together, not necessarily in returning to a specific place. The walkers also meet the brothers Anakwad and Giizhik, who warn them to stay off the roads and guide them toward the river that leads to the island. The brothers' knowledge of the land and their cautious trust in the newcomers show that migration is a network of relationships, not a solitary path.
The dangers are real. In chapter twenty, the group is captured by the Disciples, a violent militia. Zhaabdiis, a former soldier they had taken in, is shot dead, and Evan is wounded in the gut. The attack forces the group to flee to boats on the lake, leaving Zhaabdiis's body behind. This violence underscores that the return to ancestral lands is not a peaceful idyll; it is a struggle against those who would claim the land for themselves. The brothers' intervention—killing the Disciples with arrows—shows that the ancestral territory is defended by those who already live there, and that the migrants must earn their place.
Arrival and Transformation: The Island as Renewal
When the survivors reach Oodenaang, the island community, they find a place that is both new and ancient. Ogimaa, the leader, welcomes them and describes the island's history and population of about five hundred. The island is a refuge, but it is also a place of memory. Evan, mortally wounded, asks to be taken to the water, and he dies at sunset on a rocky lookout, with the community singing a travelling song. His death is not a failure of the migration but a sacrifice that anchors the new home. The epilogue reveals that Nicole returns to that spot to remember Evan and to offer tobacco, making the island a site of grief and renewal.
The epilogue also shows the long-term outcome of the migration. After Evan's death, the community endures months of uncertainty, but eventually the walkers return with the brothers, and Tyler and Nick clear a trail marked with colourful materials to guide the rest of the community south. The mass departure is carefully staged, with groups traveling at the end of flooding season, resting at Linda's camp, and some choosing to settle at Saswin instead. The fact that some stay behind acknowledges that migration is not a single destination but a series of choices. The community that reaches the island is not the same one that left; it has absorbed new members, lost others, and forged new bonds.
Nicole's final affirmation to her granddaughter Waawaaskone—that they will always be here—is a declaration of permanence. The island becomes a homeland not because it is the original ancestral territory, but because the community has chosen to make it so. The return is thus not a literal return to a past place but a re-creation of home in a place that holds meaning through memory and sacrifice.
Complexity and Contradiction
The theme is not without its tensions. The novel questions whether migration is a return or a departure. The walkers are seeking Wiigwaaswaatigoong, the place of the birch trees, but they never reach that exact spot; they settle on an island nearby. The ancestral homeland is thus both a goal and a myth, a direction rather than a fixed location. Linda's vision of gathering all Anishinaabe communities together suggests that survival depends on unity, not on reclaiming a specific piece of land. This complicates the idea of a singular ancestral home.
Moreover, the migration is not universally embraced. Some community members, like Candace, recall past scouting trips that ended in loss, and the fear of repeating those tragedies is palpable. The decision to leave is a gamble, and the novel does not shy away from the cost. Evan's death, Zhaabdiis's murder, and the months of uncertainty for those left behind all show that migration is a painful process. Yet the epilogue's tone is one of gratitude and hope, suggesting that the sacrifice was worth it.
The symbols reinforce this complexity. The river that guides the walkers is both a physical path and a metaphor for the flow of life and change. The trail markers—colourful materials tied to trees—are a practical tool but also a symbol of connection, linking the old community to the new. The travelling song, sung at departure and at Evan's death, binds the community across time and space, turning migration into a communal ritual that transcends individual loss.
Study Questions and Answers
1. How does the novel define the relationship between migration and cultural renewal?
The novel shows that migration is not merely a response to scarcity but a way to reconnect with ancestral knowledge and practices. The walkers carry tobacco and sage, perform ceremonies, and learn from other Anishinaabe communities. The island becomes a place where the community can rebuild, and the epilogue shows a thriving settlement with a coming-of-age ceremony, indicating that cultural practices have been renewed.
2. What role do the characters of Walter and Nangohns play in the decision to migrate?
Walter, as the eldest survivor, initiates the plan by arguing for a return to ancestral homelands and insisting on scouting. Nangohns represents the younger generation's willingness to take risks; she volunteers to join the scouting party and later becomes a key member of the walkers. Her insistence challenges the elders' caution and ensures that the community's future is carried by the young.
3. How do the symbols of the river and the tobacco offering function in the migration narrative?
The river serves as a guide and a boundary, leading the walkers to the island while also representing the passage from one life to another. The tobacco offering is a gesture of respect and reciprocity, acknowledging the land and its inhabitants. Both symbols emphasize that migration is a relationship with the land, not just a movement across it.
4. In what ways does the novel complicate the idea of a return to ancestral homelands?
The walkers never reach the exact place called Wiigwaaswaatigoong; they settle on an island nearby. Linda's suggestion to gather all Anishinaabe communities challenges the notion of a single homeland. The novel suggests that home is not a fixed location but a community's collective identity, which can be recreated in a new place.
5. How does Evan's death shape the meaning of the migration?
Evan's death at the island transforms the migration from a survival mission into a sacrifice. His death anchors the new home in memory, and Nicole's visits to the spot where he died make the island a place of grief and renewal. The epilogue shows that the community's permanence is built on the losses they have endured, making the return meaningful rather than merely practical.