STUDY GUIDE - Indian Horse
STUDY GUIDE
CONTENTSINTRODUCTION TO EDUCATORS1DUTY TO REPORT DISCLAIMER3TRUTH AND FICTION4The book and the film4The truths in storytelling5Assignment7Discussion questions8Challenge9HISTORY OF RESIDENTIALSCHOOLS10Truth and Reconciliation10Reconciliation in education14Assignment15Discussion questions16Challenge17HOCKEY AND SPORTS CULTURE18Saul’s gift18Father Gaston18Brotherhood & betrayal20Assignment22Discussion questions23Challenge24LAND, LANGUAGE AND HOPE25Saul’s return25Significance of language25Assignment27Discussion questions28Challenge29Download a mini-poster atIndianHorse.ca
INTRODUCTION TO EDUCATORSRichard Wagamese’ award-winning novel Indian Horse isbeing taught in thousands of Canadian classrooms, withover 100,000 copies of the book in circulation.In late 1950s Ontario, eight-year-old Saul Indian Horseis torn from his Ojibway family and committed to one ofCanada’s notorious Catholic Residential Schools. Denied thefreedom to speak his language or embrace his Indigenousheritage, Saul witnesses all kinds of abuse at the hands ofthe very people who were entrusted with his care. Despitethis, Saul finds comfort and fascination in the unlikeliestof places and favourite Canadian pastimes — hockey. Histalent leads him away from the misery of the school to aNorthern Ontario native league and eventually the Pros. Butthe ghosts of Saul’s past will always haunt him.Spoiler alert! Unless your class or group has alreadyread Richard Wagamese’s novel Indian Horse, this studyguide is best used after viewing the film.1INDIAN HORSE STUDY GUIDE
This movie is timely. Indian Horse tells an importantstory that Canadians need to hear, and which fits inwith curriculum the current government has mandatedfor educational institutions in this country by adoptingthe recommendations of the Truth and ReconciliationCommission (TRC).For First Nations, Métis and Inuit people in Canada, thisstory is both deeply familiar and current. The book and thefilm provide an opportunity for educators to enact the TRCrecommendation to engage with students who may belearning this history for the first time. The movie providesan opportunity for educators and students to explore howto be a part of Reconciliation in a meaningful way.The book and the film taught together will be a powerfultool for transformation. Through this project, our hope isto build understanding in non-Indigenous Canadians aboutwhy things look the way they do for Indigenous Peoplestoday. The educational component will provide muchneeded resources to discuss this history in a safe andculturally relevant way.We are calling on Educators to help us create useful andmeaningful resources to accompany the film release.Please sign up on our site www.indianhorse.ca/en/education and fill out our feedback forms.#Next150 is a series of 21 challenges, each with differentchallengers, to give everyone ways to take ReconciliACTION!Join the #Next150 Challenge! Assign it to your classes.2INDIAN HORSE STUDY GUIDE
DUTY TO REPORT DISCLAIMERPlease note: This movie introduces the discussion ofCanadian Residential Schools which in part includesharms against children, sexual abuse of children, secrets,and shame. While this is done gently and not in a graphicnature, it may lead to disclosures by children or youth inyour classroom or group. Before viewing the film, pleaseensure you are familiar with the mandatory and legal stepswithin your province, organization or school regardingyour duty to report, and also that you know about availablesupports in your community.Residential School Survivor Support Line1-866-925-44193INDIAN HORSE STUDY GUIDE
TRUTH AND FICTION(English Literature)The book and the filmOne of the natural gifts of author Richard Wagamese is hisability to marry the oral tradition of storytelling tradition andthe written word. He does this by carrying the voice of themain character, Saul, and bringing the reader through stagesof Saul’s life. Reading Indian Horse is more than just a book,it is a journey the reader takes with Saul. It feels like you aresitting with Saul and listening to him speak the story of his life.One important way the film stays true to the tone of the novelis by maintaining the narrator’s voice throughout.Richard Wagamese (1955–2017), an Ojibway from theWabaseemoong First Nation in Northwestern Ontario, was oneof Canada’s foremost Indigenous authors and an esteemedpublic speaker and storyteller. A professional writer since 1979,he was a newspaper columnist and reporter, radio and televisionbroadcaster and producer, documentary producer and theauthor of fourteen titles from various Canadian publishers.Richard was a success in every genre of writing he tried.4INDIAN HORSE STUDY GUIDE
The truths in storytellingIndian Horse is fiction, but the story it tells is true.Each character in this story is larger than their own role:they are symbols for the experiences of hundreds ofthousands of other people.When the novel and film touch on Child Saul being takento St. Jerome’s Residential School, he represents everychild who experienced this part of Canadian history. StJerome’s is a fictional version but stands in for many, manyactual schools. For Saul, like hundreds of thousands ofother Indigenous children, the first thing the nuns do iscut off his hair. This removal of hair parallels a commonhumiliation and dehumanizing tactic, such as the Nazisshaving the heads of prisoners in concentration camps.5INDIAN HORSE STUDY GUIDE
Sladen Peltier’s real hair cut off during the filming of Indian HorseSladen Peltier playsthe Child Saul.The scene where Saul’s long hair is cut off is a real momentfor the actor, Sladen Peltier, who plays Saul. Sladen hadbeen growing his hair since age five and his initial feelingabout playing Saul was, “I didn’t really want to go in thismovie if I had to get my hair cut.” But based on his ownfamily’s experiences (he has several older relatives whowent to Residential School) he came to decide this wasa bold step he was willing to take when he “realized itwas going to teach lots of people.” Peltier and his familyagreed to the sacrifice and single-take of having his braidsremoved, to highlight the moment it represents for Saul:the forcible removal of culture, of history, and all ties to hisIndigenous identity.From this point forward Child Saul is denied the freedomto speak his language or embrace his Indigenous heritage.Saul witnesses all kinds of abuse at the hands of the priestsand nuns at the Residential school. Despite this, Saulfinds comfort and fascination in the unlikeliest places andfavourite Canadian pastimes – hockey.6INDIAN HORSE STUDY GUIDE
AssignmentHISTORICAL FICTIONThink of a true story of a historical event that you haveread or heard about. Imagine you are a character in thisstory.Now tell “your story” in the voice of the character youcreated. Work with a partner and interview each other sothat you can learn about each others character.Present your story as a performance to the class, or handin as written text.7INDIAN HORSE STUDY GUIDE
Discussion questionsWhy is it so traumatic for Saul to have his hair cutoff? What does it represent? Why was this done toIndigenous children in Residential Schools?Think of another book that is fiction and is used toteach about history. Why is fiction a powerful tool totalk about important and difficult subject matter?What are some of the differences and similaritiesbetween the book and the film?8INDIAN HORSE STUDY GUIDE
ChallengeGO DEEPER INTO THE HISTORY OF RESIDENTIALSCHOOLSVisit some sites where documentary and testimonial videosare kept. Start with the National Centre for Truth andReconciliation website, www.nctr.ca, and go to the archivessection. Many mini documentaries were created followingthe work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Alsogo to the Legacy of Hope “Where are the Children” projectto view video testimonials at http://wherearethechildren.ca/en/stories/Watch a few of these documentaries to get a sense ofwhat a non-fiction account of the schools is like.9INDIAN HORSE STUDY GUIDE
HISTORY OF RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS(Social Studies)Truth and ReconciliationFrom the 1880s, for upwards of 100 years, the Canadiangovernment worked in tandem with the church-runschools to forcibly remove Indigenous children from theirfamilies, communities and Nations and put them intonotoriously abusive institutions called Indian ResidentialSchools (IRS). The purpose of the schools was to eliminateparental involvement in the spiritual, cultural and intellectualdevelopment of Indigenous children. During this chapter inCanadian history, more than 150,000 First Nations, Métis,and Inuit children were forced to attend these schools, manyof which were hundreds of miles from their home.In his role as Head of Indian Affairs in 1920 DuncanCampbell Scott set out the forceful and deliberate policiesthat perpetuated the efficacy of the Residential Schoolsystem. He stated: “I want to get rid of the Indian problem.Our object is to continue until there is not a single Indianin Canada that has not been absorbed.” (source: NationalArchives of Canada, Record Group 10, vol. 6810, file 470-23, vol. 7, 55 (L-3) and 63 (N-3).)10INDIAN HORSE STUDY GUIDE
Children as young as five-years-old were taken far awayfrom their families and homes where they were violentlypunished for speaking their own languages or practicingtheir traditions. They were indoctrinated into Euro-Canadianand Christian ways of living with the goal of assimilatingthem into mainstream Canadian society. This systemicracism was meticulously crafted to ‘kill the Indian in thechild’, as has been notoriously quoted in many ResidentialSchool accounts (including the 2008 government apology).Children were often physically and sexually abused for theduration of the years they were forced to live in the schoolscreating an enduring legacy of secrecy, shame and pain forgenerations of Indigenous people.11INDIAN HORSE STUDY GUIDE
The cumulative impact of Residential Schools resulted inunresolved trauma passed from generation to generationand has had a profound effect on the relationshipbetween Indigenous peoples and settler Canadians. Toreally comprehend the trauma of this legacy, we need toremember that removing the children didn’t just happenonce, a long time ago. It went on, relentlessly, for over acentury. The last Residential School in Canada closed in1996.“For those who cannot imagine the impact that Residential Schoolshad on Aboriginal peoples, picture a small village, a small community.Now picture all of its children, gone.No more children between 7 and 16 playing in the lanes or the woods,filling the hearts of their elders with their laughter and joy. Imaginethe ever-present fear of watching their children disappear when theyreached school age.” Gilles Duceppe (Laurier – Sainte-Marie, BQ) June 11, 200812INDIAN HORSE STUDY GUIDE
In 2015 the Truth and Reconciliation Commission ofCanada called the Indian Residential School system“cultural genocide.” (TRC final report). It summarized the 6volumes of reports on the findings into 94 Calls to Action.13INDIAN HORSE STUDY GUIDE
PRINCIPLESOF LEARNINGFirstpeoplesLearning ultimately supports the well-being of the self,the family, the community, the land, the spirits, andthe ancestors.Learning is holistic, re exive, re ective, experiential,and relational (focused on connectedness, onreciprocal relationships, and a sense of place).Learning involves recognizing the consequencesof one’s actions.Learning involves generational roles andresponsibilities.Learning recognizes the role of indigenousknowledge.Learning is embedded in memory, history,and story.Learning involves patience and time.Learning requires exploration of one’s identity.Learning involves recognizing that someknowledge is sacred and only shared withpermission and/or in certain situations.For First Peoplesclassroom resourcesvisit: www.fnesc.caReconciliation in educationThe First Nations Education Steering Committee (FNESC)in BC has created many resources available on theirwebsite www.fnesc.ca. One of these resources is a posterof Indigenous principles of st-Peoplesposter-11x17.pdf.First Peoples Principles of Learning Learning ultimately supports the well-being of the self,the family, the community, the land, the spirits, and theancestors. Learning is holistic, reflexive, reflective, experiential, andrelational (focused on connectedness, on reciprocalrelationships, and a sense of place). Learning involves recognizing the consequences ofone’s actions. Learning involves generational roles and responsibilities. Learning recognizes the role of Indigenous knowledge. Learning is embedded in memory, history and story. Learning involves patience and time. Learning requires exploration of one’s identity. Learning involves recognizing that some knowledge issacred and only shared with permission and/or in certainsituations.14INDIAN HORSE STUDY GUIDE
AssignmentTRC CALLS TO ACTIONRead the Education section of the TRC’s 94 Calls to Action.Now consider Call To Action 10 (iii): “Developing culturallyappropriate curricula.” Reconciliation includes sharingteachings.In small groups discuss how you would use the bookand the film to teach others about Canada’s history withFirst Nations people. Refer to the FNESC “First PeoplesPrinciples of Education.” Consider the questions: What isculture? and; What does ‘culturally appropriate’ mean toyou?When you come back together as a class, present yourdiscussions and reflections back to the larger group.15INDIAN HORSE STUDY GUIDE
Discussion questionsThe book Indian Horse is taught in grade 10 acrossCanada. The film is rated 14A, in most provinces, PG inAlberta. Yet the story of Residential Schools is the storyof very young children being taken from their families.Discuss with your students how they might handleintroducing these topics when teaching history toyounger children.In the later scenes in the film, Saul sees a familiarlooking person laying on a mattress in a laneway in thefilm. Is this Lonnie? The book and the film do not makeit clear if it is or not. Discuss with your class. How doesseeing this person affect Saul? What are the author andthe filmmakers trying to say with this short scene?On much of the Residential School material, includingon the Indian Horse website, contact information isprovided for “Residential School Survivor Support Line.”Why do you think this information is needed?“When the present doesn’t recognize the wrongs of thepast, the future takes its revenge. For that reason, wemust never, never turn away from the opportunity ofconfronting history together – the opportunity to righta historical wrong.“ Governor General Michaëlle Jean,October 15, 2009.How does this quote relate to Truth and Reconciliation?16INDIAN HORSE STUDY GUIDE
ChallengeORANGE SHIRT DAYSeptember 30 is Orange Shirt Day, an annual eventfounded by Phyllis Webstad (pictured above) from theStswecem’c Xgat’tem First Nation (in Williams Lake, BC).She tells her story of having her shiny new orange shirttaken away on her first day of Residential school at theMission. The date was chosen because it is the time ofyear when children were taken from their homes to theResidential Schools, and because it is an opportunity to setthe stage for anti-racism and anti-bullying policies for thecoming school year.Visit www.orangeshirtday.org to learn more about howto get involved. What ideas do you have to make this dayan opportunity for education and Reconciliation at yourschool? Form or join a committee to plan an Orange ShirtDay event in your community.17INDIAN HORSE STUDY GUIDE
HOCKEY AND SPORTS CULTURESaul’s giftSaul falls in love with hockey – for him it is more thana game, it has spiritual qualities. He sees patterns in thegame and is able to integrate himself into the action in away that the other players, even though they are older andstronger, can’t compete with. Within both the book andthe film, this opens space to talk about how Indigenousspirituality has a place in a contemporary world. As it sayson the movie poster in Ojibwe and English: “Gdi yawn qwaizhinamowin – You have the gift, you have the vision.”The delicious other-world that hockey provides gives Saulsafety from the daily realities of Residential School: “Therink became my escape, the ice my obsession, the gamemy survival.”Father GastonFather Gastonplayed by actorMichiel Huisman.Father Gaston is a symbol of the church and its conflictedrelationship with Indigenous Peoples in Canada. Hischaracter provides viewers a way to delve into thecomplexity that people experience in abusive relationships.That the priest is also the hockey coach is anotherpowerful way to explore the role that coaches andinfluential adults can have in children’s lives.18INDIAN HORSE STUDY GUIDE
Father Gaston Leboutillier introduces child Saul to hockey.He is introduced as a likeable character when he comes tothe rescue of a young boy being humiliated by a priest. Theboy has peed the bed and a priest is forcing his face intothe urine-soaked mattress while telling him he’s disgusting.Father Gaston stops him: this is the the first of manyscenes where we are witness to Father Gaston showing“kindness” to the children in Residential School.As Narrator Saul says in the novel Indian Horse, “FatherGaston Leboutillier came to St. Jerome’s the same yearI did. He was a young priest with a sense of humor thatangered his fellow priests and nuns, and a kindness andsense of adventure that drew the boys to him. He led hikesin the spring and summer. He took us camping for days ata time and when winter came he brought us hockey. Heconvinced Father Quinney to let him build a rink, outfitthe older boys and start a team. Things changed at St.Jerome’s after that, for one season of the year at least”(Wagamese p 56).19INDIAN HORSE STUDY GUIDE
Brotherhood and betrayalTeenage Saul’s talent at hockey leads him away from themisery of the school to a Northern Ontario native hockeyleague and eventually to the Pros.Teenage Saul moves in with the Kelly family. Both Fred andMartha Kelly also attended St. Jerome’s Residential Schooland Fred coaches the local hockey team “the Moose.”Teenage Saul playedby Forest Goodluck.The film reveals warm moments of team banter andcamaraderie. This is the first time since childhood that Saulhas felt safe and been with a family. This shows the viewersthe importance of being connected to other IndigenousPeoples in healthy and safe environments.Despite being happy with the Moose team, Teenage Saulstill experiences many examples of overt and violentracism. A particularly charged moment in the film is after agame when the team members of the Moose enter a localrestaurant. They are approached by a white man who says,“You win a little hockey tournament and you think you cancome in here and eat like white people.”20INDIAN HORSE STUDY GUIDE
This particular era of the film coincides with first timeIndians could legally leave the reserves unaccompanied byan Indian Agent, and the first time they would have beenvisible to the dominant public.In 1974, 22-year-old Saul is recruited to play for TheMonarchs, a stepping stone to the NHL. At first reluctant toleave his friends and move to Toronto, Saul is encouragedto give it a shot.Adult Saul playedby actor AjuawakKapashesit.In Toronto while playing for the Monarchs, Saulexperiences more racism but this time he doesn’t have histeammates to support him. This isolation weighs heavily onSaul.When Father Gaston’s shows up at a game at the end ofthe movie, it triggers Adult Saul to abandon hockey, and fallinto a long and destructive path of alcohol addiction. Thisstrips Saul of the ability to keep at bay the painful repressedmemories from his childhood in Residential School.21INDIAN HORSE STUDY GUIDE
AssignmentREDES
4 INDIAN HORSE STUDY GUIDE The book and the film One of the natural gifts of author Richard Wagamese is his ability to marry the oral tradition of storytelling tradition and the written word. He does this
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