DEDICATION:
To the Seven Generations, all the ancestors who have come before us and all the generations that will come after us. To our greatest teachers: our elders and our little ones
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
It has been an honour to connect with some of the most inspirational people I have ever met. Interviewing a group of interesting and motivational people is a memorable experience. Writing this manual was an extraordinary experience in that it advanced my belief that our Indigenous Peoples and communities have an impressive strength and resilience individually and collectively. My primary goal in writing this manual was to provide guidance and support for our young people so that they may be inspired to become who they truly dream of being. It is my privilege to be able to speak directly to our Indigenous young people through this manual.
Firstly I would like to acknowledge Allan Ross, the Chief Executive Officer for the Alberta Indigenous Games and all of the members of the 2013 Alberta Indigenous Games Committee for this amazing opportunity. Much gratitude is extended to Norquest College for their kind assistance in editing and printing our manual, especially their talented team: Barb Pearce, Helen Brisbin, and Jeff Jenkins. My warmest appreciation to Dr. Gabor Mat. for his inspirational research into substance abuse and for his heartfelt forward for the manual. Thank you to Jacob Alexis for his fresh and inspirational cover art, as well as beautiful illustrations throughout the manual; to Michelle Nievida for an interview in Edmonton, and to my friends who are always willing to jump aboard and give me a helping hand.
A special thanks to childhood friend Larin Gunther for contributing to the writing of the Substance Abuse and Obesity/Diabetes systemic issues, and to Ryan Nakama for his informative writing and research support in the area
of nutrition, as well as for conducting some interviews. A special thanks to my high school friend Jennifer Curtis for the additional support in editing. Thank you to my family who never fails to agree with my wild dreams and aspirations: my cousin Istuyee Montez for her wonderful creativity as reflected in the composition of four original poems specifically for this manual; my dad, Phil Lane Jr. for his incredible service over the last 45 years in helping unify the human family and Indigenous Peoples around the world; and my mom, Dr. Martha Many Grey Horses for her gentle guidance and for teaching me the value of serving my community. The penning of her thoughts onto paper and editing of the written words was decisive in providing the manual with greater perspective—her wisdom is shining. A special thank you to the Andersons, for teaching me the importance of being a strong individual with strong family values. Most prominently, I would like to thank my husband, Francisco Violich for his dedication, unconditional love and support in conducting and transcribing many of the interviews for the manual and helping me write the Medicine Wheel Section. You inspire me daily to reach for
my potential, and to live life with compassion and heart. I would also like to say thank you to my beautiful little baby
girl who will enter this world in the next month. She has been with me through this whole process and I hope one day she can use this manual as a guide towards happiness.
Mitakuye Oyasin, All My Relations,
Deloria Many Grey Horses-Violich