The Night Watchman

Use these activities to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity. 

ACTIVITY 1: “The Lived Effect of Laws”

Begin the lesson with a short writing exercise, based on the following prompt:

Choose one character and discuss what they saw as the potential effect the 

Termination Bill would have on their life. Be as specific as possible. 

Play the closing section from the audio version of The Night Watchman, which is narrated by Erdrich.

Then, ask one student to read the closing note of the acknowledgements, highlighting briefly that acknowledgments can offer some insight into who and what was on the author’s mind when writing.

Project the following passage from House Concurrent Resolution 108 on the screen and then split students into groups of 3 or 4. They should discuss the questions that follow the passage, looking specifically at “The Iron” (78-80) and “A Bill” (90-92):

“Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That it is declared to be the sense of Congress that, at the earliest possible time, all of the Indian tribes and the individual members thereof located within the States of California, Florida, New York, and Texas, and all of the following named Indian tribes and individual members thereof, should be free from Federal supervision and control and from all disabilities and limitations specially applicable to Indians: The Flathead Tribe of Montana, the Klamath Tribe of Oregon, the Menominee Tribe of Wisconsin, the Potowatamie Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska, and those members of the Chippewa Tribe who are on the Turtle Mountain Reservation, North Dakota.”

•  What does “freed” mean? What does it mean here? What does it mean to Thomas?
• How does the language of this bill differ from how it is viewed by the Turtle Mountain Band of the Chippewa in this novel?

Students return to the larger group and report their answers. Once finished, ask students to also share their thoughts on how this bill would affect different characters. Make notes on the board for each character.

With time remaining, ask students why they believe this book was assigned. Ensure the following points are hit:

• This book offers a new way of considering a historical event while also allowing for the voice of a member of the Turtle Mountain Chippewa to be the one to present the information. 
• The Night Watchman spreads awareness of how Indigenous peoples have been affected by seemingly beneficial laws that capitalize on language like “emancipation.”
• It was, perhaps, a break from learning history from a textbook. 

Teaching Suggestion: Having discussed Louise Erdrich’s biographical information more thoroughly in the introduction to this book, note that, where possible, it is important to listen to an author discuss their work so that students can get a sense of their voice. This voice is especially meaningful in Erdrich’s case since the novel incorporates history from not only her family but also from the history of her tribe.

ACTIVITY 2: “Centering Indigenous History”

Much of history has been written from a Western perspective. Ask students what they have learned about Indigenous American history. Then, encourage students to think about history from the perspective of Indigenous peoples in the United States. Using the National Museum of the American Indian’s online exhibits, break students into groups of two or three and assign each of them an online exhibit. Ask them to look through it and answer the following questions:

• What exhibit are you looking at?
• What is the focus of the exhibit?
• What did you learn that you didn’t know before?
• Did anything seem to contradict or confirm what you already know about Indigenous peoples?

Teaching Suggestion: This is a good opportunity to get students to think more about history from the perspective of Indigenous peoples and about how to recenter their experience instead of that of European and American colonizers.

• An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz is a great resource for learning more about the history of Indigenous peoples. There is also an adapted version for young people.