Summary Of Indian Horse By Richard Wagamese

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Rebuilding Identity and Community Through Sports in Indian Horse The story Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese is a story about a boy named Saul, who shares his horrific experiences as a young indigenous boy in Canada. The story explores the extreme abuse and cultural extinction that Saul underwent while at residential schools. A thematic concept that Wagamese touches on, using sports to overcome trauma and rebuild identity. Saul used ice hockey as a way to help overcome his trauma with residential schools and rebuild his own identity. He joined The Moose, a local hockey team in the Native League. This was the one time where Saul truly felt happy, the cultural acceptance and camaraderie that The Moose had shown him demonstrates the community and …show more content…

Christine O'Bonsawin, an associate professor of history and Indigenous studies at the University of Victoria, mentioned the fact that “...more Indigenous people are identifying their citizenship as belonging to their Indigenous nation and not Canada. . . a rejection of an assumed Canadian identity." Similar to this, in an article written by Jim Morris, Rille ManyBears, a distance runner qualifying for the Olympics and Alison Desmarais, a former short-track speed skater who competed in World Cup events are two Indigenous people who want to dissociate themselves from Canada. The discovery of the bones of 215 Indigenous children on the grounds of an abandoned Kamloops Indian residential school may have an impact on whether or not Indigenous athletes choose to wear the Maple Leaf. Desmarais said that “Canada, quite frankly, has been horrible to Indigenous peoples. I see why you wouldn't want to represent a nation that you feel has wronged your people and you." Indigenous people unite to make amends over the trauma and injustice that Canada has done to their people in order to develop an identity that shifts from "Canadians" to "Indigenous". This can also relate back to Saul when he switched to The Moose, disconnecting his residential school identity and moving it towards an Indigenous …show more content…

Emily shared her experience of struggling to find her identity, but using sports to help regain and cope with it. Mandamin’s family has been through lots over the generations, such as the Sixties Scoop and all the residential schools that they’ve been a part of. This intergenerational trauma carried over and had caused Mandamin lots of disconnect with her Indigenous identity. Mandamin used basketball as a way to cope and overcome her trauma, while also building up her own Indigenous identity. She said, "Basketball has saved my life so many times." There’ve been so many nights where I’ve felt so alone and I’ve been crying and I’ve been upset, and I don’t understand how to deal with what I’m feeling and what I’m going through. I'll just find myself in the gym, listening to the ball bounce and seeing the ball go through the net." This illustrates a specific example of an Indigenous person using sports to cope with the trauma in her life. Mandamin also said her community and environment also helped her regain her identity. At the University of Manitoba, this is one of Mandamin’s safe spaces to practice her Indigenous culture freely. One of her cultural practices consists of smudging, a ceremonial practice or prayer, and her teammates are very open to letting her do that. “My teammates have been nothing but supportive

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