Summary

Chapter 1 functions as a type of prologue and framing story for the book. The protagonist is an indigenous Canadian named Saul Indian Horse. He is of the Ojibway tribe. He is in his thirties and is a recovering alcoholic. He is in a recovery center called the New Dawn Centre. Most of the other residents are indigenous people as well. The residents are encouraged to share their stories as part of recovery.

In Chapter 2, Saul narrates the story of when his great-grandfather first introduced horses to the Ojibway tribe. The tribespeople quickly embraced the animal as part of their culture, and some of them adopted the surname Indian Horse. That first horse was purchased from white settlers. At that time, Saul’s grandfather had vague but powerful visions of many profound changes to which the tribe would have to adapt in the future.

In...