Invite an Elder, senator or knowledge keeper to speak with your class to share information about the concepts of clans, totems and doodems. If you have an Indigenous lead within your school system, they may be able to help with this. Understanding that clans are systems within Indigenous cultures will help students understand the concepts that the author was exploring.
Have students create masks of animals of their choice. They can accompany their masks with a written statement about their choice of animal and how they connected to the characteristic traits of that animal.
Please note to the class that these are not ceremonial masks as some Indigenous cultures create and wear, but masks specifically related to the story. It should be kept in the realm of feelings and character values, and please do not tell the students that these are their spirit animals or totems.