"The Ebb and Pull of the Dream". An Ecocritical Reading of Cherie Dimaline’s "The Marrow Thieves"

This work explores how Indigenous literature, particularly "The Marrow Thieves" by Métis author Cherie Dimaline, responds to environmental destruction and climate change. Set in a dystopian near-future Canada devastated by ecological collapse, the novel follows a group of Indigenous characters fleeing from settlers who harvest their bone marrow, believed to be the cure for a mysterious illness that prevents non-Indigenous people from dreaming.

The novel critiques ongoing colonial violence and its connection to environmental exploitation, highlighting how Indigenous communities are disproportionately affected by both. Through its characters and story, "The Marrow Thieves" shows the resilience of Indigenous peoples and the importance of traditional knowledge in surviving ecological crises. It challenges dominant ideas of development and progress, instead emphasizing the deep, interdependent relationship between humans and the natural world.

This analysis uses eco-criticism and postcolonial theory to explore how Dimaline's novel exposes the roots of environmental collapse in colonial history and calls for a rethinking of our relationship with the environment, one guided by Indigenous perspectives and values.