In The Game of Silence, Erdrich highlights the tragic history of the Indigenous American experience under the control of the white American government. The Ojibwe tribe, of which Erdrich herself is a descendant, is used as a narrative exemplar of what happened to countless tribes throughout the country when the American government expanded its power and removed Indigenous Americans from their lands through war, death, and forcible expulsion.

The Ojibwe people lived in various locations throughout the northeastern part of what is now known as the United States of America. Due to the effects of tribal warfare over the span of 1,500 years, the Ojibwes relocated and settled in the Great Lakes area in the 1600s. When French colonists arrived, the Ojibwes were forced to move again, settling mostly in what is today known as Minnesota. Today, there are seven Ojibwe reservations in Minnesota.

The Ojibwes were able to establish positive relationships with various settlers through the generations because their fur trade was important to the local economy and the building of community. However, the Ojibwe people’s lives were turned upside down in the 19th century when the American government began the process of official land dispossession.