Annie Cook

Annie, 36 years old, is Marie-Adele's sister and the half-sibling of Pelajia and Philomena. She dreams of becoming a country singer and marrying her boyfriend, Fritz, a Jewish country musician. Annie enjoys gossiping about "Big Joey," a local man known for his numerous romantic escapades. Her daughter, Ellen, resides in a nearby town with her boyfriend and keeps Annie updated about events, including an upcoming bingo game in Toronto.

Emily Dictionary

Emily, 32, has recently returned to the Wasy reservation. She is Annie's sister and the half-sister of Pelajia and Philomena. Known as "one tough lady," Emily's rough demeanor stems from a decade-long abusive marriage and the later death of a female lover in San Francisco. Her tough exterior softens as she bonds with her traveling companions. At the play's conclusion, she reveals her pregnancy and that Big Joey is the father.

Philomena Moosetail

Philomena, at 49, is Pelajia's sister and the practical voice among the seven women. She is cheerful and often makes jokes. Philomena hopes to win enough money to buy a "big and white and very wide" toilet. Later in the play, she discloses that she had to give up her child years ago.

Nanabush

Nanabush, the traditional "Trickster" character prominent in Cree and other Native American cultures, is described by Highway as "as pivotal and important a figure in the Native world as Christ is in the realm of Christian mythology." Essentially a comic, clownish figure, Nanabush "teaches us about the nature and the meaning of existence on the planet Earth." In the play, Nanabush appears as a seagull, a nighthawk, and the Bingo Master. He guides Marie-Adele to the spirit world when she dies at the bingo game. ("Nanabush" is the Ojibway name for the Trickster.)

Pelajia Patchnose

Pelajia Patchnose, the 53-year-old natural leader of "the rez sisters," aspires to leave the Wasy reservation. After the bingo game, she decides, as Dennis W. Johnston notes in Canadian Literature, to use her leadership skills "to genuinely improve conditions on the reserve rather than just to complain about them."

Zhaboonigan (zah-boon-i-gan) Peterson

Zhaboonigan, a 24-year-old mentally disabled woman, is the adopted daughter of Veronique. Her biological parents died in a "horrible car crash" twenty-two years ago, and Veronique has cared for her since. Only Zhaboonigan and Marie-Adele can see Nanabush when he appears. In one instance, she recounts to the Trickster a time when she was sexually abused by two white boys.

Veronique St. Pierre

At 45 years old, Veronique is the sister-in-law to the other women. She often laments her alcoholic husband when she's not tending to her adopted daughter, Zhaboonigan Peterson, who has mental disabilities. Following Marie-Adele's passing, Veronique moves into the Starblanket household to look after the fourteen children and cook using Marie-Adele's stove. This act, much like her adoption of Zhaboonigan, showcases her kind-hearted nature and her concern for others' well-being.

Marie-Adele Starblanket

Marie-Adele, aged 39, quietly endures her battle with cancer and serves as the "mother figure" in the play. She resides with her husband, Eugene, and their fourteen children. Her dream is to win enough money to purchase an island paradise where they can live "real nice and comfy." Tragically, she passes away during the bingo game in Toronto, with her spirit symbolically ascending to the spirit world.