Indian Horse Sparknotes

Before the Indian Act most of the young members of the First Nations followed the traditions and beliefs of previous generations, however, this changed with the introduction of Residential schools through the Indian Act. By 1948, there were 78 schools operating with nearly 10,000 students enrolled. This education network was established by the government but was controlled by the Catholic, Anglican and Presbyterian churches. The objective of this school system was to teach young aboriginals how to integrate themselves into the “normal” Canadian life. In other words, this whole system was a major cultural genocide.

“Indian School Road” by Chris Benjamin sheds light on the horrific experiences of Indigenous children and families at residential schools. It is a non-fiction book that explores the impact of the residential school system in Canada on Indigenous Communities. The author focuses specifically on the Shubenacadie Residential School in Nova Scotia, where Indigenous children were taken and forced to attend the school from 1930-1967. The Canadian government established these schools intending to indoctrinate Indigenous children into Christian ways, with churches as the main locations and priests and nuns as educators. The book uncovers the history of the Shubenacadie Residential School, exposing the responsible individuals, the government's passive

Ebrahim Radwan NBE3U Ms. Abunassar March 29, 2023 Stripping Identities: Trauma in "Indian Horse" Imagine a world where the innocent and vulnerable children are subjected to abuse, mistreatment, and even death, all because of who they are. This is the heartbreaking reality of Canadian Residential Schools. From 1831 to 1996, Indigenous children were forcibly taken from their homes and communities, and placed in these government-run schools, where they were stripped of their culture, language, and identity. The destruction these schools caused to Indigenous peoples is immeasurable. These schools are the cause of 6000 deaths out of 150000 victims, all of which are vulnerable children.

Author Richard Wagamese conveys a message in his novel Indian Horse displaying the idea of sacrifice. Specifically how people must sacrifice belonging for survival. Wagamese uses Saul 's experiences, choices and general story to express this message. Throughout Saul’s life he is forced to make sacrifices for himself and the people around him in order to survive, his isolation is what gets him through. Everyday people see the reproductions of community and how surviving isn 't an easy thing.

Ultimately, Paulsen invites the readers into brian's experiences of grimness. Doubtfulness and perseverance, hence forcing them to consider his hardships and challenges faced to survive. By exploring Brian’s familial strife and the unforgiving and dangerous scene of the Canadian wilderness, the reader gains a persuasive insight into the fear, isolation and superfluousness that often saturate implication emotional and physical

The book “Indian Horse” by Richard Wagamese features an Indigenous man named Saul. The book begins as Saul, now 30 years old, recounts the difficulties he had to endure growing up as an Indigenous boy. Saul’s family is in constant fear that he will be abducted by European Canadians, as two of his siblings were. One of his siblings, Benjamin, escapes and finds his way back to Saul’s family. In efforts to escape his captors, Saul’s whole family travel to a place called God’s lake where they harvest rice until Benjamin’s health becomes very poor and he dies.

The voices of Indigenous children are unheard and purposely ignored. This is portrayed through the literature of Birdie by Tracey Lindberg and Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese. Despite both apologies from Stephen Harper and Justin Trudeau, the government system to protect First Nations children appears to have detrimental effects on the life of a child. This is proven by young children turning to drugs in order to satisfy their growing pain, family members who abuse their children because they consume high amounts of alcohol, which has a negative impact on the child, and discriminatory behaviour by surrounding communities. To begin with, young children turning to drugs in order to satisfy their growing pain.

The Residential school stole his innocence when he was just a child and created an unimaginable outlook on life. Hockey was supposed to be that escape but that was stolen from him as well through constant taunting. In the workforce, isolation grew leading to alcohol and depression. Through the racism he faced, it was evident how Saul was affected both internally and externally as he endured more than anyone does. Saul’s culture, memories, hope, faith, language, traditions, tribe and freedom were taken from him all because of his skin

What exactly is a residential school? The Canadian Encyclopedia puts it, “Residential schools were government-sponsored religious schools established to assimilate Indigenous children into Euro-Canadian Culture.” Now, that sounds rather unpleasant, and that’s just the definition. When we take a deeper look behind the scenes of these schools the horrifying truth is much worse than just “unpleasant”. Residential schools had a negative impact on the lives of the children that went to them both at the time and in the future.

Hockey has the capability to alter a person's life and personality. Saul, the main character in Richard Wagamese's novel, Indian Horse, is shown as a boy who has always had a strong passion for Hockey and recognizes how meaningful it can be for himself and others. Throughout his career, Saul stood out among the other players on his team as well as the opposing team. This was due to his much more advanced skills in goal-scoring, puck control, and creating a variety of goal opportunities for his teammates. However, even though his talent and success were acknowledged, Saul was confronted with the harsh reality of the world.

Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese and Sufferance by Thomas King are two novels that tell stories about the Indigenous experience in Canada. Both books deal with similar themes that are developed through the use of key literary elements such as the concept of trauma and its lasting effects on individuals and communities, Identity, Cultural Heritage, Healing, Racism, and Discrimination, both novels approach these themes in different ways. Firstly in both Indian Horse and Sufferance one of the main topics is identity and the theme of struggling with fitting in society. Both books explore the notion of what it means to be Indigenous in a settler colonial society.

Initially, when Saul starts playing with his hockey reserve team, he experiences his first encounter with racism. While Saul is enjoying the game, he is suddenly kicked out of the team and remarks to Mr. Leboutiller the reason behind this is “‘because I am an Indian, isn’t it’ ‘yes’, he said” (Wagamese 91). At this moment, Saul is a victim of exclusion at a young age and recognises; not only in the residential school are Indians victims of discrimination due their appearance, culture and differences, but also outside of the residential school. Through his first encounter with exclusion, he slowly notices the segregation that surrounds him resulting in mental abuse because he becomes very cautious. After Saul leaves the residential school to live with the Kelly’s, he begins to play with the Moose.

He was further away from nature, and that leads for him being further away from himself, his culture, ancestry, freedom, and vision. Not just residential schools, but many communities find different cultures has “Unaccepted and wrong”, and that leads a person to become something they aren’t “I flipped my right glove off at the last second and drove my fist right into this face”, Saul had given up the control he had tried to maintain begins to fight. This can be seen as slowing moving away from one’s self personal circle. Not please with himself Saul turns to alcohol in replace for hockey in his life. By drinking it can give a person a sense of relief making them feel ‘Normal ‘again, like they would remember feeling in the past.

This form of humiliation lead Saul to quit the game he once loved, and in turn had no escape from his past. With nothing else to rely on, Saul turned to alcohol. This depressant turned Saul’s life upside down and he was so low in life he almost died. At a very important time in Saul’s life he finally decided to quit drinking and return to the game of hockey in order to be free. By coaching, Saul gave back to the game he loves while also protecting and leading children on a better path then the one he lived.

There has long been significant historiographical and popular controversy about the conditions experienced by students in the residential schools. While day schools for First Nations, Metis and Inuit children always far outnumbered residential schools, a new consensus emerged in the early 21st century that the latter schools did significant harm to Aboriginal children who attended them by removing them from their families, depriving them of their ancestral languages, through sterilization, and by exposing many of them to physicalleading to sexual abuse by staff members, and other students, andenfranchising them forcibly.