A Cree man living in Moose Factory. Joseph Netmaker grew up in Moose Factory and was forced by the nuns at the residential school to read and write English, so he helps Niska write a letter to Xavier while he is away at war. Joseph’s English, however, is poor, and his letter mistakenly claims that Niska is dead. The letter devastates Xavier when it reaches him on the frontlines, and he loses his “desire for survival.” Joseph’s letter underscores how damaging language can be to Indigenous people and that suggests that language can tear one down as easily as it can build them up.
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Joseph Netmaker Character Timeline in Three Day Road
The timeline below shows where the character Joseph Netmaker appears in Three Day Road. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Masinahikewin: Writing
...the trading post where the proprietor, Old Man Ferguson, yelled at her in incomprehensible words. Joseph Netmaker, an Indian man Niska remembered from long ago sat in the trading post. “They...
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...by week’s end and return at winter’s end with as many furs as you can.” Joseph said. He translated the names of places she did not know, like Saint-Eloi and the...
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During the winter, Joseph arrived at Niska’s camp. There had been word of Elijah Whiskeyjack’s heroism, and Joseph has...
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Joseph began to write as Niska spoke. “You must do what is necessary to survive,” she...
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Masinahikan: The Letter
The letter is signed by Joseph Netmaker, a man Xavier vaguely remembers. “There is no mention of my aunt [Niska]?” Xavier...
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