Loss of language in 'Indian Horse'

Abstract

Throughout the duration of the film, Indian Horse, there were Indigenous characters who had to limit or completely stop speaking in their first language since not speaking English meant risking their safety. This article will focus on how the characters in this film reflect Indigenous individuals in Canada who were forced to speak English and could not use their mother-tongue. how the non-Indigenous characters react/respond to these instances, how these situations in the film reflect what happened in the time of residential schools, and how this translates into modern-day Canada.