Summary Of Indian Horse By Richard Wagamese

Imagine going to school to learn new things; now imagine going to school to get beaten and never to return home. Indian Horse, written by Richard Wagamese, is a very emotional book that enables people to see what true horror it was to take part in Residential Schools as Saul Indian Horse and the after effects his parents portrayed. Wagamese establishes a very strong story line to examine how life was in Residential Schools including pain, punishments, and suffering. Punishments included mouths being washed out with soap, children being beaten (sometimes to death), laborious chores, strict rules to be followed along with certain religions, and racism. Residential schools caused Saul Indian Horse to forget his Ojibway heritage, follow his hockey

Due to the horror that his parents had to endure; they did not want to talk about what happened. Saul caught on to the possible after effects due to their actions and the techniques they used on him and his brother. Saul and his family lived way back in the forest to keep their Ojibway heritage alive but did not stay alive very long due to no health care around the area. This caused many death in his family and left Saul alone through the night to be taken to the Residential Schools and experience the punishments himself.

The native children that were sent to residential schools misbehaved to to the strict procedures they were forced to accept. They were punished through a variety of means. One punishment Saul experienced was the mouths of every child were washed out with Lye soap. “There was no tolerance for Indian talk. On the second day I was there, a boy named Curtis White Fox had his mouth washed out with Lye soap for speaking Ojibway.” Saul did not have to experience this too many times while he attended the school because he could speak full English. Even though the kids tried to speak English to

The nuns used their hands, whips, coarse tools and many other objects to teach Saul and all other kids that what they were doing was wrong or not up the the standards of the residential schools. Along with his mouth being washed out with soap Saul did not have to endure much of this punishment unlike some other kids. “They made her memorize the Catholicism and recite endlessly at the front of the classroom. If she made a mistake the struck her with a ruler, a strap, or a hand and made her start over.” or “ Shane Big Canoe. They brought him to St. Germ's wrapped in ropes. When they untied him, he promptly ran away. I remember standing along the rail of the stairway with a dozen or so others when they brought him back. Two burly men from town had wrestled him into father Quinney's office. We heard slaps, the whack of fists on the flesh, the sound of wrestling and the crash of furniture then silence.” (Wagamese.