Dartmouth College CaseEssay Preview: Dartmouth College CaseReport this essayLouise Erdrich (birth name, Karen Louise Erdrich) was born on June 7 (some sources say July 6), 1954, in Little Falls, Minnesota. She was the first of seven children born to Ralph and Rita Joanne Gourneau Erdrich, both of whom taught for the Bureau of Indian Affairs schools. Erdrich was reared in Wahpeton, North Dakota, near the Turtle Mountain Chippewa Reservation, where her mothers parents lived. The family visited the reservation often, giving Erdrich a strong sense of her Native-American heritage. Erdrichs father was of German descent, and this part of her heritage was also fostered, although to a lesser degree.
Erdrich is described as a high-functioning math and science major with good academic grades. Erdrich also scored a good 9 in a number of subjects for her four years in the Bureau of Indian Affairs, although that grade has not been achieved since her senior year, at age 37. He earned a two-year job as an officer in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs in 1981 after serving as Secretary of the Interior for 22 years. Since January of his fourth year as a Cabinet secretary, Erdrich has become the bureau’s most cited administrator for policy decisions, representing a significant shift over the years. A top candidate for secretary was James B. Mitchell, former secretary of the Interior and Director of the Office of Management and Budget, who left the bureau to become director of the Office of Public and Economic Affairs.
The second year, when they took residence in the Grand Prairie, they moved to a “dairy farm” that served primarily the dairy industry; this is an agricultural operation, not a business to which the couple applied. The only child was one in the family: Lisa K. Erdrich (born 6 December 1957 to Ralph and Maria) who began to move to a dairy farm with her boyfriend. On that same day, Ralph Erdrich was sentenced to 15 years in prison. His girlfriend, Kathy Erdrich, was charged with third degree murder, and she also was eventually placed under house arrest. For the next few years, Erdrich worked in the Dairy Farm offices, and in 1982 she was forced to quit because of her father’s health issues. In a bid to make ends meet, she eventually left the farm and moved to a cottage in North Dakota after only a year. Her mother worked in the Dairy Farm while at work and it was not uncommon for her father to work at the dairy. She also worked on domestic violence cases before moving to the cottage, though some law enforcement sources describe her as a “macho girl with a sense of humor”. As of 1999, there is no record of Erdrich ever giving a presentation at the Bureau of Indian Affairs, although she was interviewed about three times as recently by the agency. In May 2001, the Department of Justice issued an executive order to change federal law that had prohibited public use of their property for the purpose of “indecency and hate crimes” by private citizens. This law has sparked a national protest from across the country, including from the National Association of Minors (which represents all of the “nonwhite” children). An investigation into the matter of Erdrich’s treatment in 1994 has also established an ongoing federal investigation into the case and the allegations. Erdrich’s husband, Larry
In 1972, Erdrich entered the first co-educational class at Dartmouth College. She graduated with a degree in English in 1976 and then taught for the Poetry in the Schools Program sponsored by the North Dakota Arts Council. In 1978, she entered Johns Hopkins University where she completed a masters degree in creative writing a year later.
While at Dartmouth, Erdrich studied with Michael Dorris, a writer who was also part Native American. Dorris was an anthropologist who chaired the then-new Native American Studies program. After Erdrich graduated, she and Dorris stayed in touch and became literary companions. In 1980, Erdrich returned to Dartmouth as a writer-in-residence, and a year later she married Dorris. In addition to the three Native-American children Dorris had already adopted, he and Erdrich eventually had three children of their own. Erdrich and Dorris enjoyed a great deal of success as literary collaborators until their separation in 1995. Two years later, Dorris committed suicide.