The irony of Cherokee mistreatment
Sometimes, people remember the European conquest of America and forget that the pitfalls of that conflict could have been avoided by honestly appreciating the religions and cultures of Native people. That doesn't mean that disease and change would not have still ravaged the native communities, because perhaps there are elements of the conflict that were inevitable, but the absolute disenfranchisement of Native people from their identity and land—that part is ironic and frustrating.
Maritole's ironic experience of change
Emotionally, Maritole struggles to reconcile the changes with her emotional awareness of reality. She feels embarrassed and betrayed by members of the European community, but also her own community. Her experience of change was that it made her community struggle to maintain communal life, because the influence of change was so drastic that many of her cultural assumptions simply don't apply.
The irony of ancestry and identity
This novel explores the issue of ancestry and identity. The Christians have different beliefs from Maritole and her community, which is unexpected to her, because they seem to be human beings too, and therefore, they should have ancestors. Besides, she feels connected to primal instinct, so she doesn't understand why their behaviors and beliefs are so radically separated from their animal instincts, which she discusses in terms of ancestors.
The irony of primitive religion
So, there's an irony in the actual religions, because in Christianity, the idea is clearly suggested by Paul in Romans that, actually, primitive religions are valid in their perception. The Christians resent the Native beliefs about the dead, about God, and about salvation, but the Cherokee myths do actually codify those same principles. The religions are ironically similar. Also, Christianity is rooted in Judaism which has its roots in a primitive religion (the Bible actually describes the transition to monotheism from polytheism). Instead of sharing their similarities, the Europeans misconstrue their religion to deny other people a right to believe what they want.
The irony of sanctuary
For the Cherokee nation, the promise of sanctuary takes them through the Trail of Tears. They end up in Oklahoma, which is not their homelands, which is already inhabited by other Native populations, ironically, and where they struggle to adapt. They lived in the same place for basically ever, and then randomly, they are moved to a "better" place by foreigners who take their land as their own.
