Although the novels Beloved (1987) by Toni Morrison and Tracks (1988) by Louise Erdrich belong to two distinct literary traditions – the African American and the Native American, respectively – both of them highlight the themes of memory and trauma and convey the experience of disenfranchisement and victimization of the subaltern. This paper analyzes and compares the two novels in regards to their depiction of the cultural trauma and the collective memory of their respective communities. The analysis of Morrison’s novel focuses on the depiction of Black community’s historical trauma, the re-writing of history, the role of storytelling in that process, and the (re)creation of African American identity post slavery. It also explores the correspondence between the mother-daughter relationships in the novel and the author’s own search for her nameless ancestors in an attempt to fill the gaps mainstream historiography has left behind. The analysis of Tracks focuses on the novel’s portrayal of the wider cultural trauma of the Native community as well as its function as a historical counternarrative. The paper argues that Erdrich’s novel celebrates cultural translation and adaptation as a means of cultural survival and foregrounds the importance of land to maintaining Native identity. It also demonstrates that in both novels, the ghost image serves not only as a symbol of collective reminiscence and healing but also as a signifier of communal identification. Lastly, the paper asserts that both novels employ the theme of substitute parenting as a strategy to secure communal survival and cultural continuity and that both of them end on a positive note, communicating a message of hope.