The novel Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese tells the story of Saul Indian Horse, an Ojibway boy who endures the horrors of residential school and uses hockey as an escape while reconnecting with his cultural roots. Before reading it, my understanding of Indigenous peoples was quite shallow, shaped mainly by brief lessons in school that focused on treaties and vague mentions of hardship. After finishing the book, my view has shifted significantly. I now see the deep effects of historical injustices, the strength of community values, and the quiet power of resilience and healing. This essay will explore how specific scenes and themes in the novel challenged my earlier ideas and gave me a clearer sense of Indigenous life.
The Brutal Reality of Residential Schools and Cultural Suppression
One part that affected me deeply was the description of St. Jerome’s Residential School. Saul explains how the nuns and priests tried to erase Indigenous identity, saying they worked “to remove the Indian from our children so that the blessings of the Lord may be evidenced upon them” (Wagamese, 2012, p. 43). This challenged my preconceived idea that residential schools were mainly about education. I had assumed they offered basic learning, but the novel shows how they forced children like Saul and his friend Lonnie Rabbit to change their names, speak only English, and suffer physical abuse for any sign of their culture. The daily marches, the Iron Sister punishment box, and the nighttime visits by adults revealed a system built on control and fear rather than care. After reading these scenes, I understood that the loss of language and family connections created lasting trauma that continued long after the schools closed.
Hockey as Escape and the Return to Cultural Traditions
The novel also shows how Saul finds brief freedom through hockey, yet it also highlights the importance of returning to traditional practices. When Saul’s family travels to Gods Lake, his grandmother teaches him and his brother Benjamin how to make rice ties and dance the manoomin in the old way. She tells them, “Rice is sacred. When Creator sent the Anishinabeg… we were instructed to stop when we came to the place where food grew on the water” (Wagamese, 2012, p. 22). These details made me realise that Indigenous culture is not frozen in the past but continues through practical skills and ceremonies. Before this, I had thought of traditions as distant stories; now I see them as living acts of survival that help Saul and his family cope with loss. Hockey itself becomes another kind of ceremony for Saul, allowing him to move with grace and focus when everything else feels broken.
Resilience, Identity and the Path Toward Healing
What struck me most was Saul’s later vision at the edge of the cliff at Gods Lake. After years of drinking and running from his pain, he sees his ancestors and feels the land call to him. This sequence deepened my awareness that healing is not quick or easy. The novel shows that resilience does not mean forgetting suffering; it means carrying memory while finding new ways to live. Saul’s decision to return to the New Dawn Centre and later to Manitouwadge shows a quiet strength that I had not expected. My earlier view of Indigenous people as simply victims has been replaced by respect for their ability to hold onto identity even when systems tried to destroy it. The story also made me think about my own responsibility to listen rather than assume I already know the full history.
In conclusion, Indian Horse has given me a much more layered understanding of Indigenous experiences. The specific events at St. Jerome’s and Gods Lake, combined with the themes of hockey, family, and cultural practice, have challenged my previous assumptions and shown me the realities of trauma alongside the strength of resilience and community. Rather than seeing a single narrative of loss, I now recognise the ongoing process of healing that continues today. This novel has made me more aware of the need to approach these stories with care and openness.
References
- Wagamese, R. (2012) Indian Horse. Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre.
