The book emphasizes the importance of understanding and learning about one’s heritage from direct descendants, rather than from history books written by unrelated groups, such as books by white Americans about Indigenous Americans. Bruchac educates the reader about Indigenous American history from an Indigenous perspective, providing a backdrop to the way Indigenous tribes are treated today and what can be done in the future to change inequities.

Through the stories Malian’s grandparents tell, both Malian and the reader learn about the historical marginalization of Indigenous individuals. For example, Malian’s grandparents relay how Indigenous parents, including Malian’s mother, were deemed “unfit” and had their children taken away and placed for adoption in white families. Malian’s grandparents describe the abuse they suffered at the hands of Catholic nuns in the “Indian Schools” they were sent to. Malian’s grandmother was forced to endure sterilization.

The bigotry against Indigenous individuals by white people explains the mistrust that Malian’s grandparents have of white people. This is illustrated by Grandma’s reason for reading history books written by white people about Indigenous people: “Not because they got it right, but because you always want to know what they are thinking about us” (124).