Indian Horse Quotes

Saul Indian Horse: A New Love for Hockey Hockey was nothing but a simple game for our beloved Saul. But when he hits his darkest times, it will be the one thing that ends up helping him the most. Saul is the main character in the book Indian Horse, who has many traits such as the golden goose of the Manitouwadge Moose, and the ravaging Indian of the Toronto Marlboros. Indian Horse is a book that follows the life of an Ojibway native, Saul Indian horse. Through Saul’s years of playing hockey, readers learn about his many different experiences. Whether it be how Saul falls in love with the sport, loses his passion and becomes violent, or finds joy in hockey again by using it as a part of his healing journey.

While Saul struggles at Saint Jerome’s

Eventually, after a few critical decisions, Saul loses his passion, turning him to violence. Saul has been very successful thus far in his career. He gets a spot on the Toronto Marlboros, a Junior A team based in Toronto. Here, he experiences many different types of racism and slowly starts losing his love for hockey and becomes violent. “If they wanted me to be savage. That’s what I would give them.” (Wagamese 164). Saul is at a key turning point, as he has moved away from a civil play style on the ice, this “Rampaging Redskin.” (Wagamese 165) Filled with a sense of anger, he feels he must become this goon on the ice. “I blaze the ice with locomotive force, and when somebody hits me, I hit back. When they slashed me, I slashed hard, breaking my stick against shin pads and shoulder pads.” (Wagamese 176) Saul has lost his sense of happiness in hockey. He is now filled with fury and anger while he skates, willing to wreck anyone who steps in his path. Saul’s love and passion for the game is long gone. He succumbs to the pressure of being known as the “Rampaging Redskin.” (Wagamese

However, against all odds, he finds joy again in hockey and uses it as a part of his healing journey. Throughout the book, we see Saul develop as a character. Now, after many years away from Manitouwadge, Saul returns hoping to bring the passion of the game to others. “I think what I want to do is coach. kids. Native Kids. I want to bring them the joy I found in the speed, the grace, the strength and the beauty of the game. I want to give that back.”(Wagamese 212) Saul returns to Manitouwadge with a different role in hockey in mind, coaching. He wants to find that same joy while spreading it to others. In addition, as a part of his healing journey, Saul spent time at the New Dawn Care Center, a home for indigenous people who struggled with addiction as a result of Residential Schools. While there, he learns about ways he can use his past in hockey to heal. He explains: “But if I learned anything, it’s that you reclaim things the most when you give them away.”(Wagamese 216). In Saul’s return to Manitouwadge, he finds Virgil and describes to him how his time at the New Dawn Care Center helped him learn how to heal from his past life events. This form of healing can also help Saul connect back to hockey. He tells him that he feels he needs to get back to the game, what it gave him. in the end, uses his return to Manitouwadge as a resource to help him heal from his past experiences with