As the matriarch of Massasauga Island, Hermine provides healing abilities that are central to the plot. Hermine is regarded as a prominent figure in the community, though she is also viewed with a mix of wonder, fear, and distrust. Though nearly everyone in Whiteheart has consulted Hermine for healing, some people shun her remedies and question her intentions, believing that she is practicing witchcraft. In this way, her gift of healing threatens those who are disconcerted by strong, authoritative women. Despite her relative isolation from the Whiteheart community, she is respected as the elder of her small family of women and revered for her knowledge of plants, herbs, and the natural world. Her healing abilities central to her identity, and she selflessly assists others by providing medicine and by psychologically taking on their pain through her dreams. She trusts in the wisdom of her grandmother, Baba Rose, who was also a healer, and shows her respect by keeping Baba Rose’s memorial fire going.

Likewise, Hermine fiercely loves her daughters and is distrustful of men, due in large part to her former husband Wild Will’s betrayal when he engaged in sex with Hermine’s adopted daughter, Prim. She regards Donkey with a gruffness that is fraught with frustration for Donkey’s inexperience or mistakes.