Pre-Conference Course: Meet the Speakers – Wanbdi Wakita, OM and Pahan Pte San Win
Vision Quest Delegates have an exclusive opportunity to register for one of two Pre-Conference Courses, running concurrently on Tuesday May 16 from 10:00am to 6:00pm. Here is more information about one of the courses, and it’s amazing facilitators:
Rise Above: Living a Life Teachings
Wanbdi Wakita, OM and Pahan Pte San Win, Bear Paw Teaching and Healing
From tipi to talking stick, interactive and experiential, this course explores cultural teachings that challenge participants to reflect on the sacred, identity, their own untapped potentials and personal barriers to the life they want.
Dakota Spiritual Leader and Sundance Chief, Wanbdi Wakita, has spent a lifetime making prayers for people. From the humble beginnings of reserve life on Sioux Valley Dakota Nation, to eight years in residential school and six years in the Canadian Armed Forces as a Peacekeeper, Wanbdi has walked many paths. Eventually his journey led him to the work that was always waiting for him, a work given to him by Creator, that of a Wicasa Wakan or Holy Man. Wanbdi Wakita has devoted three decades to working with men in prison, he is a gifted counselor, captivating storyteller and presenter. Wanbdi is often described as gentle and soft spoken, a man of integrity and profound wisdom. Wanbdi Wakita is Creator’s gift to a struggling people. He received the Order of Manitoba in 2016.
Pahan Pte San Win is Lakota, Cree and Métis, with family roots that reach back to Wood Mountain in southern Saskatchewan. Her name means Grey Swan Buffalo Woman. Over the past 25 years Pahan has immersed herself in teaching and healing. With formal training from the University of Calgary, Pahan has worked as a counseling therapist with hundreds who came seeking relief from pain and suffering. She is particularly proud of her work with Indian Residential School Survivors. Pahan is also a Pipe Carrier, Ceremonial Leader and Sundancer. In 2016, she was presented with the 10th Annual Indigenous Circle of Educators Award in the category of Honouring Our Elders, Winnipeg, Manitoba.