Canad The Character Of Saul Indian Horse

The indigenous condition in Canada was a malleable asset in most of its history in the eyes of upper-class Canadians, stripping away from their past and their culture, to later incorporate into mainstream Canadiana, through violent and destructive means. For protagonist Saul Indian Horse, it’s no different. From cover to cover, he faces the power of white supremacy breaking him down, with his passion for hockey providing resilience in the bigotry. Despite that, his relationship with the sport recedes with age, following in tandem with the depths of his negative emotions, soon separating himself from hockey. Indian Horse's account of experiences on and off the rink emphasizes the motif of hockey, his relations regarding it ebbing and flowing,

Whilst staying in the residential school, he eventually joins the school’s team, the Wapoose, his bond with hockey makes him feel accepted in a place where he felt excluded. Retelling that: “I ceased to be the Zhaunagush. I became Saul Indian Horse…[becoming] a brother. I basked in the glow of this regard.” (86) Hockey provided a sense of belonging, as he was formerly seen as an outsider from his Indigenous peers; His inclusion gives him joy from one of many dark corners in his life. Continuing from his emotions in the Wapoose, his departure from St. Jerome's transition to the Moose team didn’t stop his high from inclusion. Regardless of the hazing to feel included in the Moose team, he felt euphoric as soon as he officially joined. Even though his feelings about the Moose were quite cold at first, they changed from: “They completely restricted my movement...my body [hurts]...but my pride hurt more" to "I stripped off my jersey and sat there, breathing in the atmosphere of that small wooden shack. I was a Moose." (106-107) Joining the Moose didn’t halt his love for hockey, yet expanded it, by moving the team spirit outside the residential school, separated from the direct pain, providing essential relief for a damaged child, forced to hide away due to people attempting to strip his ability to be himself. Hockey

After years of difficult recovery, travelling far and wide, physically and mentally for peace, he later speaks to the group that strengthened his joy for hockey and how he would bring it back. Most notably, he spoke to his adoptive parents in Manitouwadge, Fred and Martha. He said: “What I want to do is coach…Native kids. I want to bring them the joy I found; the speed, the grace and the strength and the beauty of the game. I want to give that back.” (212) This demonstrates his healing with the game, diving deeper into hockey since his long hiatus, seeing hockey to improve the lives of others. Through working out his feelings regarding the pain in his life, from St. Jerome’s to Manitouwadge and Toronto, he later shows a desire to renew his relationship with hockey, not just for others, but also for himself. Speaking to Virgil, one of his former teammates in the Wapoose team: “While I was at the [rehabilitation] centre, it’s that you reclaim things the most when you give them away.” (218) Indian Horse shows a clear wish and hope to return his adoration with hockey, by wanting to gain the joy back via giving an opportunity to other youth in Manitouwadge. Lastly, his description of the sport pictures how the relationship between hockey reaches back to where it was at