Three Day Road

Three Day Road

by

Joseph Boyden

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Three Day Road: Ka Nipihat Windigowa: Windigo Killer Summary & Analysis

Summary
Analysis
Xavier smiles as Niska tells him the story of the nun. She asks Xavier if he remembers the day the “awawatuk from the turtle clan” came to visit. “One of us has gone windigo this winter,” the awawatuk said immediately. He told Niska his nephew went into the woods several weeks ago and came back with human meat. “He has gone mad and threatens to destroy all of us,” the man said.
Like Micah and his wife, the awawatuk man goes into the bush alone and goes windigo, which reflects Boyden’s overarching argument of the dangers of isolation. The man leaves his tribe, and without them, the windigo is free to enter.
Themes
Isolation vs. Community Theme Icon
Quotes
“We will leave at once,” Niska told Xavier, and they set out with the old awawatuk toward his camp. The man’s story was much like Micah’s, only it was the man that went windigo and ate his wife. Niska was nervous as they approached the camp. She feared the windigo had gotten loose and killed everyone. When they arrived, all was calm. Niska could see the glow of the windigo through the lodge walls. “An aura as bright to me as the North Lights pulsed from within a great sadness,” Niska says.
The Northern Lights are often seen as the spirits of ancestors in Native culture, which makes sense here. Niska’s ancestors guide her to the windigo, who must be killed to save them all. Like her father, Niska approaches windigo killing with the utmost respect and feels a “great sadness” for what she must do.
Themes
Isolation vs. Community Theme Icon
Niska did not have a plan as she approached the windigo. He remained calm as she slipped the rope around his neck. All she had to do was twist the rope with a stick and it would be over. Niska prayed to Gitchi Manitou and began to twist. He began to buck and struggle, but Niska prayed louder, and he soon fell slack. After, on “shaking legs,” Niska told the awawatuk man to build a fire and burn the body “until there was nothing left.” Later, Xavier asked why she had killed the man. “Sometimes one must be sacrificed if all are to survive,” Niska answered.
Niska doesn’t have a plan because she innately knows what to do. Plus, she has watched her father kill windigos. Niska’s words have special meaning when placed in context with Xavier’s killing of Elijah. Like this windigo, Elijah must be “sacrificed” so that Xavier can live. This also reflects Native beliefs of the importance of community—the collective is worth more than the individual.
Themes
Isolation vs. Community Theme Icon
Nature, War, and Survival Theme Icon
“I want a friend, Auntie,” Xavier said to Niska as he grew. “I am lonely.” She agreed to move camp closer to town so Xavier could find other children to play and hunt with. She warned him to stay away from the wemistikoshiw; if they found him, they would take him away. Xavier soon came home with Elijah. His mother was dead, he said, and his father was a trapper whom he’d never known. “Your friend began to return to our camp with a rifle and many bullets,” Niska says. She didn’t know where Elijah got them from, but she would watch the boys practice shooting at targets.
Any Indigenous child the wemistikoshiw came across was sent to the residential school. Residential schools operated for over one hundred years in Canada, and during that time, it is estimated that nearly one third of all Native children were forced into them. Xavier’s desire for a friend again implies that no one can be alone all the time.
Themes
Isolation vs. Community Theme Icon
Racism and Assimilation Theme Icon
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Elijah told Xavier that he took the rifle from the nun on the reserve. “What does a nun need with a gun, anyway?” he said. “I don’t know if it is right to take something that isn’t yours,” Xavier said as Niska stuck her head out of the lodge. “Nephew,” she yelled, “the two of you are truly talented marksmen.” Elijah looked to Xavier. “Why does she call you Nephew and not your real name?” he asked. Xavier was confused. “Nephew is my real name,” he said. “I am her nephew.” Elijah shook his head. “Your name is Xavier,” he said. “Your Christian name is Xavier. And mine is Elijah.”
Elijah’s reference to Xavier’s “real name” is again evidence of whitewashing and assimilation. Xavier isn’t Christian and he doesn’t need a Christian name, but one is forced on him anyway. Xavier’s “real name” is Little Bird Dancer (which is why his last name is Bird) but this is taken from him too. The wemistikoshiw have told him he is Xavier, but it certainly is not his “real name.”
Themes
Racism and Assimilation Theme Icon
Quotes