The Windigo, Elijah, and Three Day Road

One of the most challenging aspect of Boyden's novel involves its representation of Elijah, who increasingly turns into a 'windigo' figure. A recurrent figure in the myth-system of various Algonquin tribes (including the Cree), the windigo is basically a human being who resorts to cannibalism, a behaviour which was deemed 'taboo' and which (as we see in Three Day Road) can be addressed by calling in a 'Windigo killer'. Traditionally, it is believed that windigo myths originated, in part for practical reasons, for periods of starvation were not unheard of, especially in the winter months. The windigo myth thus drew a clear line between acceptable and unacceptable behaviours. At the same time, the windigo figure became a symbol, or symptom, of larger times of social and cultural crisis within Native communities. This kind of resort to cannibalism has a number of important implications in Boyden's novel, because here, Boyden also links it to the spiritual, psychological, and cultural devastation of the Great War. Readers can also link the windigo myth to the larger destruction of traditional Native ways of life, alluded to in the margins of the novel (especially in Niska's narrative), in which we see the establishment of the reserve system, as well as the residential school system. Students sometimes struggle with Boyden's representation of Elijah as a kind of windigo figure, but for me, it's one of the most stimulating and thought-provoking parts of this beautiful beautiful novel.