Passing on traditions or a certain way of life is a very important aspect of guiding someone of the Ojibway culture in this novel. The Ojibway people have such strong beliefs and because of that they take their culture very seriously. At the same time they are very protective of their culture because they see it slowly shifting over into the culture of "white" society making new generations of Indians less interested in learning and living in the traditional Ojibway lifestyle. These younger generations of Indians need to be guided by their elders in order to keep that traditional culture alive. This creates a connection with their family and their ancestors and inspires them to become guides as well.

Dreams are, in a sense, also a guide in Ojibway culture. They believe that through their dreams they receive visions that are "sent to them by the spirit world. That vision c

Besides daily praying, Ojibways have to practice "being Indian" everyday to be a good guide. According to Keeper you "gotta know why you dance 'steada just how. Sing and dance forever but if you're not practicin' tradition day by day you're not really bein' Indyun" (38). Indians cannot just go to ceremonies and do other cultural things and say that because they do this they are true Indians. Anyone can do that. To be a true Indian, they first have to be taught about their culture before they can participate in it. That is what a good guide tries to teach. They need to learn "the why of this life instead of just the how" (213). Even guides still learn how to be a better one each day from others or even from someone their guiding in the case of Keeper and Garnet.

In conclusion, there are many things that make up being a good guide and it takes a lot of work and a lot of time to get to that point. Wagamese does an excellent job at covering the many aspect of being a guide and becoming a guide.

Lazarus taught him that there is seven directions in life forming a circle which is the red road. Each direction they travel in they become more in touch with everything around them. North is wisdom. East is light and knowledge. South is innocence and trust. West is growth and inwardness. Then there are the three that "make the road so tough to travel" (212). They are up and down which is "the motion of life. The day-by-day things we get so hung up on all the time", and inside is the final road and it is the road to truth.

Storytelling is the most popular way to give guidance among the Ojibway people in this novel. It is used to teach

Some common words found in the essay are:
Garnet Indian, Wagamese's Keeper'n, Keeper Garnet, According Keeper, Keeper Nothin', , Harold Raven, Lazarus Indian, red road, indian heart, ojibway culture, ojibway people, guide tries, bein' indyun, generations indians, keeper garnet, pure indian, guide else, pure indian heart,
Approximate Word count = 1117
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)