Akak'Stiman ─ A Blackfoot Framework for Decision-Making and Mediation Processes

Today, two health structures exist on the Peigan reserve. One is based on Blackfoot culture, and the other is based on western European theories of health and healing. Although both methods are used on the reserve, the government only acknowledges the western approach. This book describes Blackfoot healing traditions, their spiritual foundations, and their historical development in great detail.Akak'stiman shows how Blackfoot healing methods can be integrated with western approaches on the Peigan reserve. Oral evidence from interviews with elders and historical documents bring varying approaches to this timely topic. This book is an important document in the neglected field of First Nations procedures and philosophies.

Reg Crowshoe is a well-known Blackfoot ceremonialist who lives on the Peigan reserve in southern Alberta. He is the executive director of the Oldman River Cultural Centre and has pioneered and initiated cross-cultural programs for many organizations and institutions across Western Canada. Reg is the son of the revered Native spiritual leader Joe Crowshoe. He has earned an honorary doctorate in law from the University of Calgary. Sybille Manneschmidt is a psychologist, international health consultant, author, and rancher. She earned her doctorate from the University of Alberta and has worked with the Peigan nation for twenty years. She is a sessional teacher at the University of Lethbridge.