A Story of Healing and Finding Community: Firekeeper by Katłıà

Review by James M Fisher

“Something changed in me that night. I gave in and accepted what my mother told me: I was good for nothing.”

The above are the words of Nyla, the narrator of Firekeeper, a semi-fictional (but all too true) story of a young girl growing up in Coppertown, an alias for the city of Yellowknife, NWT. Nyla’s mother, a product of the residential school system, is a habitual drunk and cares little for Nyla, who doesn’t even attend school as the school has given up on contacting her mother. Nyla finds solace in a dark crawlspace under her building which is preferable to being around her abusive mother. Early on, taking one of her mother’s many disposable lighters, she discovers fire and is instantly drawn to it. However, she doesn’t have the same control over it as it has over her. Later on, as a teen, she begins a forest fire when starting a bonfire, and seriously burning people in a nearby tent. Later, she inadvertently burns down a townhouse unit when leaving a burning message for a lover who left her. Fortunately, no one died. Admitting to the charge of arson, Nyla is incarcerated.

“At the time, I thought it best that I be locked away forever. I couldn’t be in the world without leaving a trail of devastation behind me wherever I went. Fire had become my weapon of destruction.”

It is at this point that Nyla’s life gradually begins to turn around. Nyla eventually gets placed (“reintegration”) doing community service on a small reserve at which she would be supervised by the Chief. Her first duty, ironically enough is to be a “firekeeper” during the election process of Chief. Here, in a teepee, she must keep the fire going during the night, never letting it go out. It is the first responsibility she has ever had, and as it ties in with her people’s culture, she slowly begins to heal and experience a sense of community, something she never had before.

I reviewed Katłıà’s debut novel, Land-Water-Sky / Ndè-Tı-Yat’a at The Miramichi Reader back in 2020. At the time, I said that Katłıà was an author to watch, and her writing in Firekeeper did not disappoint. The awakening of Nyla to her culture through the Chief and an Elder named Alice is remarkable, and it is the tonic that Nyla needs to become a responsible adult. At one point, she uses her knowledge of fire to find (and assist) a young firestarter on the reserve. Another time, she is instrumental in fighting a forest fire, even rescuing a family via a helicopter airlift. Nyla has been transformed into a useful and contributing member of the reserve. She is no longer “good for nothing” as her mother led her to believe.

The author’s note at the beginning of the book is poignant:

This book is about letting go of what does not serve us. It was written for those who seek comfort in knowing we are much more than who or what the world tells us we are.

Conclusion

Katłıà has authored an excellent book that adds much to the outstanding amount of Indigenous literature being produced in Canada. Firekeeper is suitable for mature young readers on up. It will be of immeasurable value in helping young and old alike to find community and value in their lives, particularly young Indigenous women, who have borne the brunt of many horrors committed against them in past and recent history, up to the present. Recommended.

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Katłı̨̀ą is a northern Dene woman who spends her time between her ancestral homelands in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories and Lekwungen Speaking Peoples Coast Salish Territory. She is the author of multiple books, including a memoir, Northern Wildflower, written as Catherine Lafferty. Katłı̨̀ą is a mother, grandmother and articling lawyer.

Book Details

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Roseway Publishing (April 18 2024)

• Language ‏ : ‎ English

• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 176 pages

• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 177363657X

• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1773636573