Richard Wagamese’s sixth novel, Indian Horse, was published in 2012. It is set in Northern Ontario in the 1950s and 1960s, following protagonist Saul Indian Horse while he tries to escape his painful residential school experience by using his amazing skill for ice hockey. As a hockey player, he has some success, but he is unable to transcend his “Indian” identity or the tragedy of his background.
This story depicts Wagamese’s philosophy in life, as depicted by Belshaw. According to Wagamese, the residential schools during his time attempted to leave Indians without a sense of cultural identity, which was successfully portrayed in the plot of the Indian horse.