I recently had the honor of prescreening the movie, Indian Horse. Indian Horse is directed by Stephan Campenelli and produced by Paula Devonshire. Indian Horse is based on the award-winning novel written by Richard Wagamese. Sladen Peltier, Forrest Goodluck and Ajuawak Kapeshesit all collectively played Saul Indian Horse as he transitioned from childhood to adulthood.
Indian Horse follows the journey of Saul Indian Horse who, as a young boy, was taken from his family and placed in a residential school in Canada. The movie tackles some of the atrocities inflicted upon Indigenous people. For example, the movie shows the trauma that results from thousands of Indigenous youth being stripped from their homes and forced to assimilate. In response, Saul stated, “The only test was our ability to endure.”
In addition, the movie goes into detail about the assimilation process that takes place, in which Indigenous people were forced to cut their hair and were not allowed to speak their language. In the movie, a young Saul is scrubbed furiously with powder and a brush. In another, Saul’s friend has his mouth washed with a bar of soap when he spoke Ojibway.
As Saul matured, the Creator gifted him with the ability to play ice hockey. With his innate skills, Saul successfully navigated his way to the minor league level. However, due to existing power structures, Saul’s essence as a young Indigenous man was challenged. Another scene I was struck by was whenever Saul would score, the audience, largely composed of Caucasians, would throw toy Indian figurines on the ice.
I am absolutely moved by the movie. Indian Horse highlights the historical trauma that Indigenous people faced.
Indian Horse will be released in the United States in early December 2018.
For more information about the film view their website:https://www.indianhorse.ca/en/film
Follow Indian Horse on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IndianHorseFilm/
Photos from Indian Horse Facebook page.
Edited by Jordan A. Johnson