Winter 2008 - 2009
It seems that the older I get, the more capable I am of realizing humans' role in the destiny of our mother-planet. More and more, I am drawn to the tried-and-true ways of indigenous people for the guidance we so desperately need. Unfortunately, what I usually come away with is a sense of alarm at how fast first peoples are losing their sustaining traditions. It's happening in my own family: a modern ranch house surrounded by an expensive golf course-style lawn now replaces the rustic farmstead where as a child I watched Grandmother practice the traditional crafts and food preservation skills of her ancestors.
A few months ago, my mate Lety and I were houseguests of Wilfred King and his partner Rosemary. She is the daughter of our elder, Kamgabwikwe, who was also visiting (Lety and I sponsored Anquat, Rosemary's son, at his naming ceremony). Wilfred is chief of the Gull Bay First Nation Ojibwe, whose reserve is a 2 1/2 hour road trip north of Thunder Bay, Ontario. He told us a story of cultural change and loss that stirred memories in me of Grandmother's bygone era. And yet, he was not at all defeatist--he expressed hope for the renewal of his people's ways, along with a desire for reasoned integration of new ways.
Every story has a spirit that enters the heart of the listener, and Wilfred's story was empowered by the Thunderbird, fabled guardian of the sky realm and creator of life-giving storms. Our gracious hosts took us up on nearby Mount Thunderbird, where their young people go to fast and seek their Visions. It is said that the Thunderbirds are alive and well on the Mount, where they come back to roost when clouds shroud the peak. In the shadow of the peak, we talked about times past and the prophecies of times to come.
Wishing to make Wilfred's story available to Natives and non-Natives who might gain inspiration from it, I asked Wilfred if I could record and share it. I am grateful to be given the privilege of carrying the story to you, which you can find here. To help Thunderbird spirit travel on with the story, Wilfred asked me to caretake the Thunderbird coat he received from the Saskatchewan Plains Cree.
Recently Lety and I spent the day with three generations of the McGeshicks, a respected family of the Sokoagon Ojibwe Band, who reside on a reservation near us. Family members include a former tribal chairman and vice chairman, and the current coalition coordinator for the Great Lakes Intertribal Council. We met to explore the possibility of working together on a Native diet project.
It might seem bad enough that diabetes and obesity now affect so many people that they are considered epidemic, where with Indian people these maladies have gone beyond epidemic to catastrophic. Recent research has shown that returning to one's ancestral diet can not only restore health but prevent the onset of these insidious afflictions. Along with a PhD in nutrition, I am writing a book on Native diet, and we have been invited to submit a proposal to the Great Lakes Intertribal Council to work with the local tribes in setting up diet and nutrition programs.
So many times I have heard the elders say, Giving is receiving, and I consider it a great honor to now be able to give some small things in return for all I have received.
Fall 2008
Remnants of the first snowfall are lingering in the shade of the pines, which reminds me of my goal to have my latest book, Blossoming the Child, finished before winter. This year I won't admit it's winter until the ground stays white, so I yet have a little time. Fortunately I don't need much, as I have only 15 pages left to finish. This is the most groundbreaking work I've produced since Journey to the Ancestral Self 15 years ago, so I'm anxious to get it out to the public. If my editors and I maintain our momentum, we may have it off to the publisher by the end of the year
For fear of being overwhelmed by interest in the limited-enrollment wilderness immersion program I teach, I had consistently shied away from allowing the program major media exposure. Now that the course has a solid and experienced supporting staff, we gave the nod to MTV and the Canadian Broadcasting Corp., whose film crews were here for much of this past summer.
MTV chose the hour-long program they put together as their October 5 True Life season premiere, which over one million people watched. They got a glimpse of what it's like to turn one's back to everything familiar and walk into a wilderness of fear and hope. Immediately after the show we were overwhelmed with requests for information, which fortunately tapered off after a couple of days. We'll be more prepared for the CBC special (I'll post airing time here as soon as I receive it).
Spring 2008
With the explosion of spring came a flurry of activity, beginning with the creative surge needed to finish my latest book, Blossoming the Child. Even before I have the book completed, Rebecca, one of my two new editors, is already polishing up the finished chapters. We plan to have the book ready for submission by the end of the summer. The year-long Wilderness Guide Program (link), which began on May 1st, is now in full swing. In the past we have steered clear of major media coverage. This year two camera crews are filming for upcoming television specials. I am working closely with the production teams, to ensure that programs will be representative of the Year-long. One of them will be airing in October during prime time, and I'll post the times and dates here as soon as I'm informed of them.