An elder about 50 years old when the novel begins, Nanapush is one of the co-narrators of the novel. Through his eyes, the reader sees the power and beauty of the Chippewa way of life as it confronts destruction on many fronts: disease, alcohol, the encroachment of white loggers, and the interference of the white government. Nanapush, in his role as an elder in his tribe, also assumes responsibility for raising the orphaned Fleur and her daughter, Lulu. He advises the younger men on the best methods of hunting, and shares his life-affirming “medicine” with others to avert disaster and help them. For example, he advises young Eli Kashpaw in the proper way to woo and win Fleur Pillager’s love.

He assumes a paternal role in directly raising the orphaned Fleur. He then enters his own name as Lulu’s father in the Catholic Church records, in an attempt to shield her from the Byzantine machinations of the white governmental intrusion into tribal affairs. Whenever the government intervenes in tribal affairs, events do not turn out well for the tribe, its individual members, or its fragile survival.

Nanapush endures because by surviving he keeps the stories and knowledge of the tribe alive.