John Wisdomkeeper – författare

Traditional recipes gathered from the Grandmothers of all cultures as I traveled the Canadian Prairies and listened to the stories and shared the food of elders.Most of these recipes have been passed down by word of mouth, like the talking stories of First Nations culture. A grandmother, Lillian Mack, assisted me in testing and working with the recipes, adding hints and updating some of the ingredients so they could be used in modern kitchens where some of the traditional ingredients might not be readily available.The herbal remedies are shared with the cautionary note that they should never be prepared or used for medicinal purposes without the guidance and instruction of a medicine teacher or a herbalist.The Talking Stories are in the nature of First Nation's stories told to children similar to the European tradition found in Aesop Fables.The Healing Journey stories relate my personal travels on my journey from drug and alcohol addictions to training with Grandfather as a Shaman sharing my traditional culture

The coyote (Heyokah)--known to many Indigenous people as Trickster--is a teacher whose lessons bring both tears and laughter. The lessons of Trickster are those of learning to laugh and joke at life's difficulties. Seeing the humor in pain and suffering strengthens the spirit. Once we have learned the gift of laughter healing of the spirit begins. As I reflected on this visit from Trickster and Crow, my spirit revisited one of my most painful experiences. Over many years I had gathered precious gifts from my culture--things with special meaning to me--polar bear claws and crystals, eagle feathers and presentation pieces for my workshops. One night all were stolen, leaving me barren and empty.