Self-Discovery and Cultural Rediscovery: Growth in Indian Horse Tiimaoro Idiong College

Richard Wagamese’s Indian Horse is an evocative depiction of personal and cultural identity growth amidst attempted individual and cultural genocide, abuse, and trauma. The story is set in the late 1950s and 1960s when residential schools were prominent and numerous. The book itself examines the trauma of a survivor of these residential schools and his journey to the recovery of self and individuality. The book is written as a sort of memoir that documents the experiences of the protagonist as a way of overcoming trauma. There are numerous moments in which Saul makes a choice which causes him to grow negatively or positively. However, three main arcs sweep through the novel and link multiple mini-arcs together to bring everything full circle. Saul grows through accepting his trauma, forgiving his oppressors, and accepting his tradition and culture through three key moments: forming a new identity separate from the submissive and homogenous identity St. Jerome ingrains in its students, aimlessly searching for a different identity, and restoring cultural beliefs and merging his hockey and Ojibway cultural identities.

A moment that causes Saul to go through pivotal growth is when he watches hockey being played for the first time....