Napi: Trickster, Trapper, and Teacher in The Buffalo Hunter Hunter

Overview

Napi, the Blackfeet trickster figure, appears in the The Buffalo Hunter Hunter disguised as a solitary trapper living high in the Backbone (the Rocky Mountains). Unlike the traditional shape-shifting deity of Pikuni folklore who created the world and then fell asleep, this Napi is awake and actively intervening in the story of Good Stab (the vampire narrator). He is an ambiguous figure—part mentor, part mirror—who embodies the novel’s central tensions between cultural survival and violent transformation. His presence forces Good Stab (and the reader) to confront what it means to remain Pikuni when the old world is being destroyed.

Plot Role

Napi’s primary role is to shelter and instruct Good Stab during two critical winters after Good Stab has been burned by soldiers and left for dead. When Good Stab wakes from a coma inside a buffalo carcass, Napi is already there, having watched him. He feeds the weakened Good Stab from his own wrist—an act that would kill any other being because Napi “can’t run out of blood.” Over the course of two winters in a dugout, Napi teaches Good Stab English by gradually mixing napikwan (white) words into Pikuni, and keeps him alive while also pushing him to develop self-sufficiency. Napi also acts as a guardian of the Backbone, watching over Weasel Plume (the white buffalo bull) when Good Stab goes on raids against hide-hunters. He later disappears as mysteriously as he arrived, returning to the trickster’s habit of vanishing when his purpose is served.

Motivations and Traits

Motivations: Napi states his reason for helping directly: “It wasn’t for you, Good Stab. It was for the buffalo. The buffalo and the Blackfeet. And the Backbone too.” His motivation is ecological and cultural preservation—keeping the land, the animals, and the People intact. He also seems driven by a trickster’s desire to influence events from the margins. When Good Stab threatens to walk away, Napi calmly predicts he will return because he has to; the trickster knows the pattern of the story.

Traits: Napi is patient, cunning, and possessed of a dry humor. He mocks Good Stab by calling Weasel Plume “Whitey” and sings the name as a song. He uses his appearance as a grizzled napikwan trapper to disguise his true nature, even letting Good Stab slowly realize who he is. He is paternal yet firm—he hits Good Stab away when he drinks too much and refuses to give a second feeding, forcing the younger man to hunt for himself. The text emphasizes his knowing smile and the way he watches Good Stab “like he was making a joke.” He is also deeply rooted in the land: the dugout he inhabits “smelled only like the trapper. Not even like smoke,” suggesting he leaves no trace.

Chronological Arc

Napi’s appearances in Good Stab’s narrative are confined to a specific period (four winters after the Bear River massacre, and then two winters with Good Stab in the Backbone). The sequence, as reconstructed from the chapter outline and evidence:

1. First encounter: Good Stab, now a vampire hiding among his buffalo herd, finds an old trapper sitting among the animals. The trapper speaks Pikuni and identifies Good Stab as “the one started that big fire.” Good Stab gradually realizes the trapper is Napi.
2. The two winters: Napi insists Good Stab stay with him through the winter, not with the bears who are tired of being dream-sucked. He feeds Good Stab, teaches him English, and warns him about the beard growing from drinking white men’s blood.
3. Teaching and testing: Napi shows Good Stab how to recognize his transformation into a napikwan, and cryptically references fire as having “helped you” during the soldier burning. He refuses to let Good Stab drink from him a second time.
4. Departure: After Good Stab is strong enough, Napi sends him back to the world, though he continues to watch from afar. The novel does not show Napi’s end; he simply fades from the narrative once his tutelage is done.

Relationships

Good Stab: Napi is a surrogate father figure, taking the place of Wolf Calf (Good Stab’s actual father, who carried him into the mountains and cut a breathing hole in his chest). Napi provides physical sustenance (blood) and cultural knowledge (language, warning about the beard). There is a bond of respect but also tension—Good Stab attacks Napi’s back when craving blood and Napi knocks him away. The relationship is one of tough love.

Wolf Calf: Napi mentions knowing Wolf Calf, having smoked with him and heard stories about Weasel Plume. This link connects Napi to Good Stab’s lineage and reinforces his role as a community elder.

The Land and Buffalo: Napi’s primary loyalty is to the Backbone, the buffalo, and the Blackfeet. He guards the herd against Snakes and keeps hide-hunters at bay. His relationship with Good Stab is contingent on Good Stab’s own commitment to these same values.

Key Decisions and Consequences

Theme and Symbol Connections

• Colonial Violence and Genocide: Napi embodies the survival of Blackfeet knowledge against the genocide. He teaches English as a tool to survive within the napikwan world, not to assimilate. His statement about trading the Backbone for food reflects the historical displacement.
• Vampirism as Consumption: Napi’s own blood is inexhaustible, symbolizing the endless resource of Indigenous culture and land that colonizers cannot drain. He feeds Good Stab but controls the flow, paralleling how tradition must be passed carefully.
• Justice and Revenge: Napi does not condemn Good Stab’s killings of hide-hunters, but he reframes the purpose: the war is for the buffalo, not personal vengeance. This shifts the revenge theme toward ecological justice.
• Identity and Cultural Erasure: The beard warning is a literal manifestation of erasure—as Good Stab drinks more white blood, he physically becomes white. Napi represents the counterforce, the enduring Pikuni self.
• Guilt and Absolution: Napi questions Good Stab about his past (the burning of Two Medicine Lodges, the dead girl) but does not offer absolution. He simply makes Good Stab face his actions.

Questions and Answers

1. Why does Napi teach Good Stab English rather than keeping him speaking only Pikuni?
Napi gradually mixes napikwan words into Pikuni so that Good Stab can understand the white men he will inevitably encounter. The text states that Napi “taught me English by gradually mixing napikwan words into Pikuni.” This pragmatic choice gives Good Stab the ability to read intentions, recognize threats, and ultimately communicate with figures like Three-Persons.

2. What does Napi mean when he says he guards “Whitey” from the Snakes?
He refers to Weasel Plume, the white buffalo bull that Good Stab saved as a calf. Napi uses the dismissive nickname to tease Good Stab, but his action of guarding the herd confirms his protective role. The Snakes are enemy tribes (likely the Shoshone or other groups) who might raid the Backbone.

3. Why does Napi refuse to give Good Stab a second feeding?
After Good Stab drinks deeply from Napi’s wrist, Napi tells him, “That’s the last time.” The text shows Good Stab attacking again and Napi pushing him away, saying “Now you can feed yourself again.” Napi’s refusal forces Good Stab to rely on his own hunting and stops him from becoming dependent on the trickster’s endless blood.

4. Is Napi truly the Blackfeet trickster god, or could he be a human elder?
The evidence strongly suggests he is the supernatural figure. Good Stab explicitly thinks, “We all thought Napi had come up here after shaping the world and laid down to sleep from how tired he was. But he was awake now.” Napi’s inexhaustible blood, his knowledge of Good Stab’s secret pen of prisoners, and his ability to hiss like a cat and claw the air all point to a non-human identity. However, the novel leaves room for ambiguity—he could be interpreted as a very old medicine man who has taken on the trickster’s name and role.

5. How does Napi’s departure reflect his nature as a trickster?
Napi does not say goodbye or make a dramatic exit. When Good Stab pushes out of the dugout after the second winter, Napi “was gone” and “the flap was just crumbly brown rock again.” Tricksters in oral traditions often vanish when their lesson is complete, leaving no trace. Napi’s disappearance reinforces that he is a force of teaching rather than a permanent companion.