I Can Make This Promise

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2019

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Download PDF

Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Prologue and Chapters 1-6

Chapters 7-13

Chapters 14-20

Chapters 21-27

Chapters 28-34 and Epilogue

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Background

Cultural Context: Coast Salish Peoples

Coast Salish refers to several Indigenous nations and tribes whose traditional territories are located in present-day Washington and Oregon (US) and British Columbia (Canada). These groups have distinct cultures and histories, but they are linked by their languages. All Coast Salish peoples’ traditional languages belong to the Coast Salish language family. Some Coast Salish groups are federally recognized tribes (in the US) or nations (in Canada). Others do not have formal recognition but still have a long history and a vibrant culture.

Indigenous Peoples have lived in what is now North America for thousands of years. Archaeologists currently estimate that Coast Salish peoples have lived on their traditional lands for up to 10,000 years. Prior to European colonialism, they took part in extensive trade networks that stretched across the continent. Their food culture historically relied heavily on salmon and other seafood. That relationship to marine ecosystems is ongoing today. Coast Salish peoples are known for creating totem poles, a distinct form of carving often used to represent kinship ties, status, or history.

In I Can Make This Promise, Edie and her mother have Suquamish and Duwamish ancestry. Both the Suquamish and Duwamish peoples are Coast Salish. In Washington, the Suquamish tribe is federally recognized, but the Duwamish tribe is not. However, both tribes have lived in the Seattle area for thousands of years. The city of Seattle is named after Chief Seattle, an Indigenous leader of the Suquamish and Duwamish people. In I Can Make This Promise, reconnecting with her Indigenous ancestry helps Edie gain a better understanding of herself and her family.

Historical Context: American Colonialism and Cultural Genocide

European settlers first arrived in what are now Canada and the US in the late 1400s. Over the next several centuries, settlers from several European nations—notably Britain, France, the Netherlands, Spain, and Portugal—colonized North and South America. That colonialism often involved violent conflict with Indigenous communities who had lived in the area for thousands of years. Settlers stripped Indigenous Peoples of access to their land, ultimately forcing them into smaller areas with poorer resources and less infrastructure. Many of them died because of violence, disease, or lack of access to resources. These deaths were a direct result of colonialism.

Across North America, settlers engaged in what is known as cultural genocide. They attempted to suppress and eradicate Indigenous cultures, languages, and ways of life. Indigenous Peoples were pressured or forced to assimilate to European culture. Settlers used threats of physical violence, legal manipulation, religious proselytizing, family separation, and a culture of shame as some of their tools of cultural genocide. In the 20th century, the practice of separating Indigenous children from their families and placing them with white families instead was another type of cultural genocide. The American and Canadian governments wanted to quell Indigenous resistance and ensure that subsequent generations would be profoundly disconnected from their ancestry and culture. By placing Indigenous children with white families, the governments hoped to break the link between children and their heritage. These children were expected to assimilate to their adoptive families’ culture at the expense of their own. In I Can Make This Promise, this is what happened to Edie’s mother.

Sociohistorical Context: Indigenous Activism and Identity

Indigenous Peoples have a long history of activism and resistance to colonialism. Throughout the 20th century, Indigenous groups organized against unjust laws, racism, and discrimination. I Can Make This Promise references some of those activist movements. In her journal, Edith wrote that her brother, Theo, “joined the Oglala Lakota in solidarity with their cause” (87). She was referencing the Wounded Knee Occupation, a major event in Indigenous history. In February 1973, members of the Oglala Lakota tribe and their allies took control of Wounded Knee, a town in South Dakota. The purpose of the protest, which lasted until May of the same year, was to push the US government to open treaty negotiations with Indigenous Peoples. The protestors felt that the government had treated Indigenous populations unfairly for many years.

Edith also mentions that Theo “protested at our own Fort Lawton” (87), a reference to a similar protest at Fort Lawton in Seattle in 1970. Although Theo is fictional, the Wounded Knee Operation and the Fort Lawton protest are real. In I Can Make This Promise, Theo was arrested for his participation in activist movements. His arrest record was among the social worker’s reasons for denying Edith custody of her daughter, on the pretext that a man with an arrest record could be a threat to the child’s safety. This detail indicates the potential price of activism. While these activist movements were seeking meaningful change in the lives of Indigenous Peoples, participating in such movements could carry severe consequences. By punishing activists, the government disincentivized protests and used activism as a reason for separating families.

Edie learns that her grandmother, Edith, looked up to an activist and actress named Sacheen Littlefeather (1946-2022). She was known for attending the 1973 Academy Awards, where she was booed when she refused an Oscar on behalf of actor Marlon Brando, who wanted to use his platform to raise awareness of anti-Indigenous racism in Hollywood and to voice his support for the Wounded Knee Occupation. Littlefeather went on to take part in Indigenous activist movements throughout her life, and the Academy formally apologized to her a few months before her death in 2022. She was an actress and an activist who championed Indigenous causes throughout her life. Her sisters stated in interviews with Navajo journalist Jacqueline Keeler that she was not Indigenous. Keeler investigates cases of self-Indigenization, or falsely claiming Indigenous identity. Littlefeather’s identity remains controversial. I Can Make This Promise was published in 2019, prior to this investigation.