The phrase “Hockey is for everyone” has been used and shared more and more in the past few years, as all levels of hockey from the NHL to bantams become more diverse and inclusive. But, this was not always the case. Before the early 2000’s there was a very small group of black players in the NHL, and it wasn’t until recently that the NHL had its first openly gay player. Inclusiveness in sports is a very touchy subject. It’s not that these major sports do not want to become more diverse, it is because we as a society struggle to take in change and develop for the future. In the novel, Saul deals with the same issue as he is kicked off of the club team he joined because the parents and players do not want an Indian on the team. Although this book is fiction and is a recreation of the stories of many Indian boys, the issue of discrimination and exclusion is all too familiar to what happens in our society. You would think that these issues may begin to disperse as diversity increases in the 21st century, but there are still many cases of harassment and discrimination against players of a different race or gender identity. Willie O’Ree, the first black player to play in the NHL The examples of players breaking the barriers set in place in the past is inspiring and something that we should commemorate, but I ask myself, why are there barriers in the first place? Why do we need to have a set of values that are against diversity and inclusion of all types of people? Reading about players like Willie O’Ree, Luke Prokop, Ryan Reaves, Matt Dumba, and Ethan Bear, I aspire to enact change in our society like they have. Saul experienced the same problems that hundreds of other sports athletes have faced. And just like the other players did, he fought through the discrimination and played the game the way he wanted to. The way I look at an issue like this is: Change is inevitable, but it is also important. Without change we stay stagnant. You may not like the change, but the change moves us forward and allows us to develop for the future. Fighting for change has brought upon some of the greatest movements and historical figures of US history. But, it starts with us asking the question: How can we change? Ethan Bear, the first player to wear a jersey with indigenous symbols (Cree Symbols) Luke Prokop, the first openly gay player to be drafted and play an NHL game
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Of all that I have read so far in this book, these chapters (chapters 13 to 20) have to be my favorite. Saul spent so long struggling and fighting to survive the horrors of St. Jerome’s, and finally he was able to find his escape. Hockey. The beautiful sport of puck and stick that is cherished around the world and is the national sport of Canada. A new priest, Father Leboutilier, introduced Saul to the game and allowed him to watch the older boys practice and play. Saul’s recognition of the game and the movement of the puck and the players is extraordinary. I believe that the connection and understanding of the process of hockey and the game came to Saul so easily because of the processes of his native life and how he was taught. It is fascinating to me how Saul’s work ethic and drive to play and be involved in the sport is so high, even with the struggles of St. Jerome’s reform school. It truly is his escape from the world. Beyond Saul’s journey into the sport, there are a TON of hockey references in these chapters. Saul reads books and watches players like Jean Beliveau, Maurice “rocket” Richard, and Frank Mahovlich. These names may not mean anything to someone reading this blog, but to me, these are guys I’ve heard stories of from my dad and superstars that I’ve looked to in awe. There is even a reference to Hockey Night in Canada, a tv showing of two NHL Canadian teams playing each other. I watch Hockey Night in Canada on every Wednesday night! At the end of these chapters, Saul finally is given the ability to play on the team and he excels. I am excited to read more about his story and how hockey helped his escape from his world. Maurice Richard (left) and Jean Beliveau (right) with the Stanley Cup
For those of you who may not know what assimilation means, allow me to describe it. To assimilate means to take in or adapt new information, ideas, culture or social aspects that are not your own. In my eyes, and in the eyes of many, assimilation has two different connotations or contexts. One of those being positive or forward learning assimilation. For thousands of years, immigrants and migrants have traveled to new cities and countries and adapted and learned new cultural practices and ideas in a positive way. This new knowledge is helpful and helps people progress in their societies and life. The second connotation or context is negative assimilation. This assimilation is forced or coerced and a prime example of this is the Indian Reform schools in the US and Canada, which also happens to be the life that Saul was forced to live. St. Jerome’s Indian Residential School in White River, Ontario During the 1970’s and beyond, Indian children were removed from their homes and living areas, similarly to Saul, and forced to live and be taught the American culture. The most important part of these schools was the connection to religion, which was very different between native tribes and their gods and Catholics and Christians. When I read the story of Saul and his early time in St. Jerome’s Indian residential school, I awe in disbelief at the actions of the priests and nuns and why they chose to force these children into a new culture. The idea of changing or adapting a new culture is something that takes time and a process as people must opt to form new concepts and practices within their old and new cultures. But the Indian children taken to these schools had no choice, no new interesting ideas of culture or society. They had no time to think about their past lives. Saul states in the novel, “St. Jerome’s took all of the light from my world. Everything I knew vanished behind me with an audible swish,” (Wagamese 43). These horrible acts occurred within hundreds of schools across Canada and the United States without a question of humanity or morals. I now reflect on my life and what I have learned and share with others about my culture. When you learn something new or are taught a practice or idea from your own history and culture, appreciate the freedom you have to express your feelings and beliefs, because many people before you were held captive in a culture that wasn’t their own.
If you are also reading this novel for the first time, like I am, you’ll find the first eight to ten chapters based solely around the lifestyle of Saul Indian Horse and his family members, but also the culture and ideas present in Canadian Indian life. The author, Richard Wagamese, shares these practices through the eyes of Saul, a seven year old, who looks upon the culture as something familiar, but also unknown. The early parts of Saul’s life are in an Ojibway camp, along the Winnipeg river and in close proximity to the border of Winnipeg and Manitoba. Saul shares how he depicts the wilderness and landscape in terms of the Ojibway when he states, “Our land existed as an untamed thing, lakes, rivers, bogs and marshes surrounded by citadel of bush and rock and the labyrinthine of weave of country. We had no need of maps to understand it. We were people of the manitous,” (Wagamese 4). Saul is clearly a observant person, especially in terms of the land and life his people and family have built and used. Throughout his time in the camp, Saul feels the unknown world around his camp, which is almost like a bubble for him. He hears stories of “the school” and the “Zhaunagash” (white man) and wonders what it is really like. Once Saul experiences his brother, Benjamin, being taken away to the school, he truly begins to understand the bubble in which he is living in. Even with this bubble the life and land that his family traverse and survive on is protected. Image of Manitoba’s Boreal Forest After many years in the camp, Saul and his family travel to God’s Lake where they hope to heal Benjamin, who had run away from the school and returned to his family, ill with Tuberculosis. In this new and unfamiliar territory, Saul learns more about the old traditions and ways of survival and life. He is taught by his grandmother how to snare traps and tie rice for cultivation. “I only knew that it felt right and good to do the chore we did, the simple ceremony of rice ties . . . she showed us how to tie the heads of the rice so it could be harvested more efficiently,” (Wagamese 26). The use of the word “ceremony” depicts that Saul sees this task as old-fashioned but ritualistic. It’s almost as if the new unfamiliar things that he is experiencing are already a part of his own culture and skill-set. These first opening chapters of the book are so important because they transition from the cultural and social aspects of Saul’s life as an Ojibway, into his life into the Indian Reform School’s where he loses that culture and is forced to learn a new one.
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