Chapter 22: The Nachzehrer’s Dark Gospel – Summary and Analysis

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

Good Stab, writing as “Blackie,” recounts his final confrontation with the Cat Man (the Nachzehrer). After being blamed for Yellow Kidney’s death, Good Stab is banished from the Pikuni. He finds Weasel Plume skinned alive by the Cat Man and kills him mercifully. The Cat Man appears with long-legs antlers, overpowers Good Stab, and entombs him in an ice river for three winters. Good Stab escapes by chewing off his own hand. He then infiltrates the Small Robe camp, where the Cat Man has taken the identity of “Walks Twice.” Good Stab is captured, tortured in a mock Sun Dance, and left broken in the Backbone. After months of healing, he returns and tricks the Cat Man by offering a girl named Kills-in-the-Water (who carries unique blood). Good Stab sets steel traps, then simultaneously bites the girl, mixing his blood with hers to poison the Cat Man. He captures the Cat Man alive, imprisons him in the traps, and leaves him incapacitated. The chapter ends with Good Stab riding away, rejecting the label “Piegan” and reaffirming his Pikuni identity.

Key Events

Good Stab is banished after being blamed for Yellow Kidney’s murder.
He finds Weasel Plume skinned alive and kills him out of mercy.
Good Stab and the Cat Man fight; Good Stab is overpowered and entombed in a glacial ice cave for three winters.
To escape, Good Stab chews off his own hand and uses the bone to chip free.
He discovers the Cat Man’s ice tunnels, filled with victims.
Good Stab infiltrates the Small Robe camp, where the Cat Man has been living as “Walks Twice.”
He is captured and forced to endure a painful mock Sun Dance; then the Cat Man breaks his bones and leaves him for dead.
During the summer, Good Stab heals by drinking fish blood and eventually hunting.
He returns to the Small Robes, offers to lead the Cat Man to the girl Kills-in-the-Water.
Good Stab sets a ring of steel traps; he and the Cat Man both bite Kills-in-the-Water.
Good Stab’s blood poisons the Cat Man; he traps him and leaves him alive but crippled.
Good Stab buries Kills-in-the-Water and rides away, refusing to call himself “Piegan.”

Character Development

Good Stab (Blackie): Transforms from a creature resigned to death into a cunning survivor. His willingness to sacrifice Kills-in-the-Water and poison himself shows his desperation to end the Cat Man. He grapples with his identity, ultimately affirming his Pikuni heritage despite being unable to return to his people.
The Cat Man (Nachzehrer): Revealed as ancient, arrogant, and sadistic. He enjoys psychological torment and mockery. His defeat comes from underestimating Good Stab’s resolve. His final state (trapped but not dead) reflects the novel’s themes of unresolved horror.
Weasel Plume: His horrifying death and Good Stab’s mercy killing deepen the emotional stakes.
Kills-in-the-Water: Becomes an unwilling sacrifice. Her unique blood is the key to the Cat Man’s downfall. Her death haunts Good Stab.
Tall Dog, Peasy, Hunts-to-the-Side: Mentioned as reminders of Good Stab’s lost past and the Pikuni community he can never rejoin.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs Evidenced Here

Blood as power and poison: Blood carries identity, strength, and contamination. Good Stab uses his own poisoned blood to defeat the Cat Man.
Imprisonment and escape: Ice, cages, traps, and a mock Sun Dance all trap the body, but survival requires breaking free physically and morally.
Sacrifice and guilt: Good Stab kills Kills-in-the-Water to poison the Cat Man, an act he calls worse than anything else. He weeps throughout the chapter, emphasizing his remorse.
Identity and belonging: Good Stab rejects the colonial label “Piegan” and insists he is Amskapi Pikuni. Yet he is banished and cannot return, highlighting the loss of home.
The Nachzehrer as a dark gospel: The transformation of the Cat Man into a false Pikuni leader (Walks Twice) mirrors corrupted spiritual authority. The title refers to his twisted teachings.
Monstrosity vs. humanity: Good Stab oscillates between seeing himself as a monster and as a man. His crying and his proud claim of Pikuni identity reaffirm his humanity.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 22 is the climax of Good Stab’s personal war against the Cat Man. It resolves the long-running conflict that has driven much of the novel’s plot. The chapter also crystallizes the central themes of identity, sacrifice, and the cost of survival. Good Stab’s refusal to accept the colonial label “Piegan” and his insistence on calling his home Nittowsinan (the Blackfoot name) reaffirm Indigenous sovereignty and memory. The defeat of the Cat Man is not a clean victory—it leaves Good Stab broken and alone, but free from the Nachzehrer’s influence. This chapter sets up the final section of the novel as Good Stab faces the aftermath and his own future.

Study Questions and Answers

Why does Good Stab choose to bite Kills-in-the-Water instead of directly biting the Cat Man? Good Stab knows from a previous encounter that even one drop of the Cat Man’s blood can knock him unconscious. By biting the girl while she is being bitten, he introduces his own blood into the Cat Man’s system, poisoning him without direct contact. This tactic also ensures the Cat Man cannot simply drink from the girl and escape.
What does Good Stab’s refusal to call himself “Piegan” signify at the end of the chapter? The term “Piegan” is a colonial exonym imposed by Indian agents. Good Stab insists on the traditional name “Amskapi Pikuni” to assert his Indigenous identity and reject colonial categorization. This refusal aligns with his earlier claim that being Pikuni is about how much one wants to live, not about external labels.
How does the Cat Man’s mock Sun Dance distort traditional Blackfoot ceremony, and what purpose does it serve for him? The Cat Man forces children to conduct the ritual; the lodge is not sacred but a “children’s Sun Dance.” He uses it to humiliate Good Stab and demonstrate his power over the Small Robes. Unlike a true Sun Dance (which seeks spiritual blessing), this parody is meant to break Good Stab’s will and amuse the Cat Man.