Crow Mary

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Throughout the novel, Crow Mary maintains her Indigenous identity despite pressure to assimilate into white society. Have you ever experienced or witnessed the challenge of preserving cultural identity in the face of pressure to conform to dominant social norms?

2. Crow Mary and Farwell’s relationship illustrates both the possibilities and the limitations of cross-cultural understanding. What experiences have shaped your own understanding of navigating relationships across cultural differences?

3. Red Fox teaches young Goes First (Crow Mary) that bravery means acting despite fear. When have you found yourself needing to act despite your fears, and how did that experience shape you?

4. Crow Mary’s mother tells her she has “three mothers: you have me, you have your tipi, and you have Mother Earth” (74). How does your connection to place—whether ancestral homeland or chosen home—influence your sense of identity and belonging?

5. Crow Mary risks her life to save the Nakoda women from sexual assault by the wolfers. What factors do you think enable some people to take a stand against injustice even at personal risk, while others remain bystanders?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. The novel portrays the devastating effects of forced assimilation policies, including the removal of Indigenous children to residential schools. How does Crow Mary’s story enhance your understanding of this historical trauma that continues to impact Indigenous communities today?

2. How does Grissom’s portrayal of Indigenous cultures compare to other representations you’ve encountered in literature, film, or education? What responsibilities do non-Indigenous authors have when writing Indigenous characters’ stories?

3. Crow Mary’s struggle to maintain her cultural identity while navigating life in a colonized world reflects challenges that persist for Indigenous peoples. What parallels do you see between the issues in the novel and contemporary Indigenous rights movements?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. The white dog appears as a powerful symbol throughout the novel, representing both Big Cloud’s spirit and Crow Mary’s hope for a new life. How does the dog’s fate foreshadow other developments in the novel, and what makes this symbol particularly effective?

2. Farwell and Crow Mary’s relationship evolves throughout the novel, from initial hope to eventual alienation. How does Grissom’s portrayal of this cross-cultural relationship compare to other literary depictions of relationships between Indigenous and white characters, such as in Louise Erdrich’s The Round House? What insights does each work offer about the complexities of love across cultural divides?

3. Red Fox serves as the keeper of Crow tradition and Crow Mary’s spiritual guide. How does his character counterbalance the forces of colonialism in the novel, and what does his relationship with Crow Mary’s children suggest about cultural survival?

4. The novel is told exclusively from Crow Mary’s perspective. How might certain scenes—such as the Cypress Hills massacre or the trials—have been portrayed differently if told from another character’s viewpoint?

5. The novel emphasizes the theme of “The Resilience of Indigenous Women” through characters like Crow Mary and the Nakoda women. How does Grissom illustrate the specific challenges faced by Indigenous women in the 19th century while also highlighting their agency and strength?

6. Alcohol functions as a complex motif throughout the novel—as a tool of colonization, a personal demon for Farwell, and a symbol of cultural destruction. How does this motif illuminate the broader themes of the novel?