The Book That Broke the World

The nootki are small figurines carved by the ganar that represent their body and spirit. Each ganar whittles a small figure, made of wood, modeled after their own image. They are meant to be kept by the group after their individual creator dies, and at the camp Celcha is born into, a deceased ganar’s nootki is hidden somewhere in the rafters of their building so it may continue to watch over the others. When Celcha departs from the camp and is taken to Crath City by the librarian, several of the ganar from her community send their nootki with her so, they claim, “some small part of themselves might go with her and witness the wider word” (28).

These nootki become a symbol to Celcha of her past and the duty to she feels toward her people. Specifically, they become a spur to Celcha’s decision to help Hellet as he prepares a revolution meant to free the ganar from servitude. Celcha touches the nootki she has secured in her fur and thinks of each one as “a silent witness to her deeds, a reminder of those who laboured in the dark” (151).