For the Cree Indians, animals play a pivotal role in survival. Storing moose meat and other food is a vital part of the summer months in preparation for hard winters. Though animals are killed, they are given the utmost respect. For the Indians, many of these animals are considered relatives, brothers and sisters even, such as the caribou and the bear. In one scene, when Niska’s tribe is starving during a particularly hard winter, a bear is killed, thus angering those who are of the bear clan, and who feel that this act is sacrilegious.

Animals also serve religious and spiritual needs of the Cree Indians in the novel. For those who are seers and healers, like Niska and her father, they can divine the future using the bones of a moose. Additionally, Niska is visited by animal spirits that strengthen her ties to nature and show her visions. Others, like Elijah, claim to be able to enter animals, such as birds (his last name is indicative of the trickster bird), and see the world through their eyes.