Content Warning: This section of the guide discusses racism, colonialism, and prejudicial terminology for Indigenous people. The study guide uses the term “Indian” only in quotation to convey the tone of the text and not as an acceptable characterization term.

The text represents balance, a key motif, as a foundational value in the Anishinaabe way of life. For the Anishinaabe, people must “live in balance with the whole world” (168). Balance connects to the cultural symbol of the eagle. Keeper compares learning balance to how eagles learn to fly. Keeper teaches Garnet that balance is achieved from the inside out. Garnet must regain inner peace to be able to live well. First, people learn balance from the natural world. Being connected to “Mother Earth” teaches people the respect and humility necessary for a balanced life. Garnet realizes that being alone in nature “[h]elps [him] balance [his] insides” (212). Inner balance helps Garnet reconnect to the outer world: “So finding a balance inside myself as a man and as an Ojibway meant that finding a balance with the outside world was gonna be a whole lot easier” (213). This motif hence encompasses the Ojibwe values of respect for others and for nature in contrast to colonialist values.