Tradition
Tradition is one of the most important themes in Firekeeper's Daughter. In the novel, Daunis' father was the firekeeper of her town. And like her father, Daunis takes a significant interest in fire keeping and traditional medicine. To that end, Daunis uses her skills and interests in both to help the FBI in their investigation of bad things (mainly drugs) that have been plaguing her community for many years. To that end, tradition is what creates conflict and tension in the story; it is also the thing that binds many generations of people together. It forms the fabric, in other words, of society.
Betrayal
Betrayal is perhaps the most important theme in the novel. As Daunis' investigation into the meth ring in her community comes to an end, she discovers that her brother is the one that is responsible for the creation and distribution of meth. Doing such a thing is antithetical to Daunis' values and the values she and her brother grew up with. It is also the opposite of what her brother told her: that he would and has never done such a thing. For Daunis and the rest of her community (which her brother had claimed to love), this behavior is a betrayal of their trust and safety. Many in the community had trusted Daunis' brother, who was also a well-respected man of science and would have never expected Daunis' brother to do such a thing. However, he betrayed everyone's trust and acted foolishly.
The damaging effects that drugs have on a community
A vital theme in the novel is the damaging effects that drugs have on a community. Drugs (in the novel, meth) killed three of her best friends. They also destroyed the lives of so many people in her community, including some of Daunis' other friends, some of whom were hooked on meth and unable to get off the drug. In other words, drugs end the lives of many who take them and significantly impair the lives of others (financially, personally, and otherwise). They are, as Daunis and the FBI astutely point out, a scourge on an exceptionally vulnerable community that need to be rooted out.
