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Wab
The Elder of Miig's family. She's very small, wears her gray hair in two braids with a kerchief tied around her head, and often seems questionably sane. She usually sings or mutters in Cree when she speaks at all, and Frenchie initially thinks that being assigned to stay at camp with her is a waste of time. He begins to reevaluate this when Rose shares that Minerva takes the time to teach those at camp the Cree language. Miig suggests that they all undervalued and underestimated Minerva when she sacrifices herself to Recruiters, especially when they later learn that she burned down the residential school by singing when they tried to harvest her marrow. At this point, it becomes clear to Frenchie and others that Minerva, as an Elder fluent in the language, is the key to beating the schools and creating change. She dies, however, in the attempt to rescue her. Frenchie learns that Minerva is so mothering to the children in the family when they get sick because she lost an adopted baby to a cough. Miig also shares that Minerva's baby grandson was taken from her by Recruiters, who raped her and left her to die.
Minerva Quotes in The Marrow Thieves
The The Marrow Thieves quotes below are all either spoken by Minerva or refer to Minerva. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Magic Words Quotes
"How do you have language?" My voice broke on the last syllable. My chest tightened. How could she have the language? She was the same age as me, and I deserved it more. I don't know why, but I felt certain that I did. I yanked my braid out of the back of my shirt and let it fall over my shoulder. Some kind of proof, I suppose.
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Rogarou Comes Hunting Quotes
"But why? Aren't these supposed to make noise?" Slopper was confused. We'd been told over and over that silence was the only way to move out here, the only way to stay alive.
It was Chi-Boy who answered, out of character. "Sometimes you risk everything for a life worth living, even if you're not the one that'll be alive to live it."
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On the Road Quotes
Everything was different. We were faster without our youngest and oldest, but now we were without deep roots, without the acute need to protect and make better. And I had taken up a spot that'd opened up in the middle of it all, somewhere between desperation and resolve.
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Loss Quotes
In them, there is always this feeling, an understanding more than an emotion, of protection. It didn't matter what was happening in the world, my job was to be Francis. That was all. Just remain myself. And now? Well, now I had a different family to take care of. My job was to hunt, and scout, and build camp, and break camp, to protect the others. I winced even thinking about it. My failure. I'd failed at protecting, and now, as a result, I failed at remaining myself.
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Minerva Character Timeline in The Marrow Thieves
The timeline below shows where the character Minerva appears in The Marrow Thieves. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
The Fire
...imagines people taking Mitch's dreams at the residential school. Miig rolls a cigarette and elderly Minerva cups her hands to pull the smoke over her head in prayer.
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Frenchie explains that Miig and Minerva are the only adults in the group. Chi-Boy is seventeen and from the Cree lands....
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Magic Words
...is thrilled to be with the hunting group; those at the campsite have to babysit Minerva. He avoids Rose's glare as he winds his way out of camp and blushes as...
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...says that she feels bad for those that have to stay in the campsite with Minerva, doing "useless" things. Rose casually says that being with Minerva is "nishin," which she says...
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...Zheegwon pokes him. Miig says they need to leave and move quickly, so others carry Minerva and RiRi's packs. After an hour, Rose catches up to Frenchie, says that nishin means...
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Haunted in the Bush
...to tell time by the sky. Zheegwon and Tree open cans of condensed milk and Minerva stashes the lids in her bag. After a breakfast of mush, Miig leads the hunters...
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The Four Winds
Frenchie hears Wab settle Minerva in a room. Because of her age, Minerva would've spent more time than any of...
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Minerva tells them that she was drawing water from the river when she felt Rogarou watching...
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After a moment, Minerva says that it started and ended with violence: she beat Rogarou with the dipper and...
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Frenchie wakes up to hear Minerva coughing. She's sitting in a chair and waves to Frenchie. He looks around and sees...
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...sneaks into his sweater. Miig discovers a two-wheeled cart that they can use to pull Minerva. That afternoon, Frenchie wanders around in search of something to convince Miig to stay longer....
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...Frenchie carry Wab to the front room. Miig lights a smudge for her and with Minerva and the little kids safely on the front porch, Wab tells her story.
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Back into the Woods
...is quiet and seems to be trying to act mature enough to handle the truth. Minerva is the only one who seems to be doing well, and she sings as she...
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...get sick, and he remembers Zheegwon telling him earlier in the year that illness makes Minerva nervous: she lost a baby to a cough.
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...to himself. Frenchie relays what he saw. After a moment, Miig says that Recruiters interrupted Minerva feeding her baby grandson, raped her, and took the baby. He says that Wab was...
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Finding Direction
That night, the family camps and cooks birds on the barbeque. In her delight, Minerva teaches them the word “abwaad,” which means "cooking on a fire." After dinner, Miig says...
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The Potential of Change
...they set up camp, RiRi finds a "toy" in the muck. She shows it to Minerva, who raises the alarm. Miig inspects the "toy," which is a broken plastic lunchbox with...
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...hours west. One wears a bright red hat. Frenchie climbs down and approaches Miig and Minerva, who looks unusually alert and upset. He shares what he saw. Miig is alarmed that...
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The Other Indians
...into the clearing. The short man with the hat, Travis, greets Miig and bows to Minerva. Minerva is thrilled to hear the language spoken, and Frenchie thinks that if he weren't...
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The Way It All Changed
Rose emerges from her tent, shouts for them to let RiRi go, and holds Minerva back from trying to get to RiRi. Lincoln drops RiRi entirely and starts to laugh....
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The Long Stumble
...more than he has in years. They continue to run for the next several days. Minerva is unresponsive and rides on Chi-Boy's back.
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Rogarou Comes Hunting
...hay. Miig and the others join him, and Miig agrees that they can sleep there. Minerva, however, refuses to come up the ladder. She insists that everyone else stay up there,...
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...awake when he hears two whistles. He sees flashlights below and looks down to see Minerva. She puts her finger to her lips and smiles at Frenchie. Several Recruiters rush in...
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...be quiet and confirms that the jingles are supposed to make noise. Chi-Boy says that Minerva risked everything "for a life worth living," even though she won't get to live it....
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On the Road
Without RiRi and Minerva, the group is able to move faster. Frenchie thinks that they're without their roots and...
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Found
...Mint, Bullet, General, Jo-jo, and Rebecca. Miig introduces his group and explains losing RiRi and Minerva. Bullet sits up at this, and Dad says they've heard of Minerva. General says she's...
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The Miracle of Minerva
...Council has a man in the schools, Father Carole, who passed along what happened to Minerva. According to Recruiters' logs, Minerva had been easy to bring in, though possibly insane—she only...
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Loss
...out. Miig agrees that they need a plan, but he's sold on going to get Minerva; Frenchie's instincts are good, and finding his dad is a good sign. Frenchie is somewhat...
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...is that Frenchie found Dad, and says that Miig seems worried about Frenchie, not finding Minerva. She points out that Frenchie has changed and drops her gaze when she says that...
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...Frenchie thinks of Miig pouring vials into the ground and says that after they get Minerva, they'll shut down the schools. Miig tells Frenchie that he knows he'll do that.
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The Circle
...in his hands and can't think of what exactly is wrong: they're going to get Minerva, and he found Dad. Dad asks Frenchie what he expects to find here. Frenchie answers...
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Word Arrives in Black
...changed and of being a jerk, and Rose says that she'll leave after they get Minerva. Frenchie insults Derrick again and says that he won't chase after Rose. Rose starts to...
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...and they make their way out of the cave. A priest shouts that they'll move Minerva tomorrow, and Miig, Frenchie, and Chi-Boy look at the priest with terror. They adopt defensive...
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Lost and Found and Lost
...residential schools. The plan is to wait for the convoy, disable the drivers, and save Minerva. Frenchie looks up to where Rose is hidden on a hill. She'd been angry when...
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...another gunshot. Miig runs back with the keys, looking afraid. He unlocks the van and Minerva, bleeding from the chest, falls out into his arms. Frenchie takes Minerva's hand and tries...
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Rose takes Minerva's head in her lap and Minerva says, "kiiwen" and begins to sing. Miig picks up...
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Kiiwen
Everyone runs. They bury Minerva's body and leave their captives with soup and a blanket. As they bury Minerva, Rose...
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Locks Mean Nothing to Ghosts
...the camp. There are two Guyanese women talking happily, one man who reminds Frenchie of Minerva, and two pale men. One has blond hair, the other's hair is wrapped in a...
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...other non-Indigenous people are true allies. Rose asks if the man is as fluent as Minerva was, and she excitedly says that the man doesn't need to be old to have...
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