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Aboriginals In Richard Wagamese's Indian Horse

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Recommended: Creation of residential schools and the impact they had on Aboriginal culture

Richard Wagamese brings to light the troubles of aboriginals living in Northern Canada in his book Indian Horse. Wagamese demonstrates the maltreatment aboriginals have faced at the hands of the Zhaunagush and their residential schools. The disgusting truth of the treatment of aboriginals in Canada is shown through recovering alcoholic, Saul Indian Horse, who recounts his life from the time he lived in the bush with his native family, the Anishinabeg, to the the time he checked into The New Dawn Treatment Centre. Seen through Saul’s eyes, the Canadian government captures and transports native children to residential schools. Not only are these children stripped from their native way of life, they are placed in an environment that eerily resembles an internment camp. Children are forced to work and are beaten with no remorse when they refused to conform. Often times these beatings resulted in death. Even through Saul’s greatest release, ice hockey, he comes to the conclusion that it is just another mechanism used to conform the aboriginal children. Saul played for the love of the game, but when he was pressured to compete with the Zhaunagush, he lost his passion. While reflecting on his …show more content…

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission is a starting point; however, it is simply not enough to integrate the aboriginals into Canadian society. Apologizing for wrong doing and compensating individuals that have lived through the terror of residential schools is not enough to prevent the issue from recurring again. There are multiple steps that need to be taken in order to correct for Canada’s original sin. First, negotiations between the federal government and the aboriginal people need to take place. Next, Canadians need to educate their youth of the historical truth. Lastly, it is necessary to look at aboriginals as people, and not a foreign

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Without documentation, the assaults and abuse committed by Father Mackey, the initial administrator of Shubenacadie Residential School, would have gone unnoticed and unacknowledged. It was only through the recording and documenting of his actions that the truth was revealed. By uncovering his actions and motivations, Benjamin's novel sheds new light on the residential school system and offers a fresh perspective on a long-standing issue. His writing raises important questions about accountability and the need for systemic change. The eye-opening accounts presented in this novel serve as a powerful reminder of the atrocities committed against Indigenous children and the ongoing impact

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Indigenous people across Canada have been suppressed by the government, system, and settlers still to this day. The residential school system was a system of boarding schools that were established by the Canadian government and administered by various churches to assimilate Indigenous children into Euro-Canadian culture. Many of these children suffered physical, sexual, and emotional abuse from school staff. Even though residential schools have been abolished they can still affect indigenous people today. The book “Indian Horse” clearly represents the intergenerational trauma of Indigenous communities in Canada.

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Fitting in and be accepted, but also not having a choice on who you are can be difficult. People can love you for one reason, and hate you for another. The protagonist, Saul Indian Horse from the novel Indian Horse, written by Richard Wagamese knows exactly what that feels like. He struggles with being an outsider and not being wanted his entire life. At some points, he is almost like everybody’s hero because of his great skills in hockey.

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The novel Indian Horse, by Richard Wagamese, depicts the societal injustices done to the Native Americans in the 1960s. The protagonist, Saul, endures an arduous journey that extends throughout his life. At the beginning of his life, he lived with his native family, only to get ripped away from them by an atrocious residential school. The horrid residential school, St. Jeromes, inflicted detrimental damage upon Saul, physically and emotionally. Saul was able to escape the confines of the school through hockey.

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