A Conversation on Healing and De-colonization

Join us at Ken Seiling Museum for an evening that is sure to leave a lasting impact as authors Sarah Salter-Kelly (author of Trauma as Medicine; https://sarahsalterkelly.com/) and Clarence Cachagee (author of North Wind Man; founder of Crow Shield Lodge ) gather to discuss their written works, answer questions, and reflect on healing beyond trauma.

Trauma as Medicine- In Trauma as Medicine, Sarah Salter Kelly shares her experience of her mother’s kidnapping and brutal homicide as an inspiring example of how to distil trauma into medicine. Chapter by chapter, she invites the reader to take their own journey of healing. 

North Wind Man- North Wind Man is a co-authored biography in which Clarence Cachagee courageously shares his challenging and inspiring path to becoming a helper and leader in his community - a multi-generational healing journey that reveals cycles of trauma and oppression, beauty and resilience.

The event will be from 7-9 pm and doors will open at 6 pm. Be sure to arrive early as there will be an opportunity for a book signing beforehand. Books can be purchased at the event.  We have a small amount of books available by each author if you want to borrow one to read before the event.   Reach out to us at wachay@crowshieldlodge.com if you have any questions or would like to borrow a book. 

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Clarence Cachagee

Clarence Cachagee originates from Chapleau Cree First Nation and calls the Waterloo Region his home. He has an undeniable spirit for change. With a primary focus on working with the Spirit within, he is a helper, visionary, and author who is known for investing his whole self into his community. Clarence has worked for various social service organizations in the field of homelessness, supportive housing, and education, focusing on supporting Indigenous communities.

Most recently, Clarence initiated Crow Shield Lodge, a non-profit Indigenous organization, and now works as the Executive Director, focusing on land-based healing and teaching for all nations.  He is also the author of a recently published biography, North Wind Man.

North Wind Man Synopsis

North Wind Man is a co-authored biography in which Clarence Cachagee courageously shares his challenging and inspiring path to becoming a helper and leader in his community — a multi-generational healing journey that reveals cycles of trauma and oppression, beauty and resilience.

After being displaced into foster care as a young child, and raised by a Mennonite family, Cachagee struggled for years with addictions and homelessness, until he

embarked on a new path by reconnecting with his Indigenous culture and accepting the support of his community. Along with Clarence’s storytelling voice, the book includes interviews with family members, social workers, and community leaders, and integrates the local history of the Waterloo Region and Chapleau Cree First Nation. It also includes the voice of Cachagee’s late father, also named Clarence Cachagee, recorded during an interview in 1991 about his experience in Canada's Residential School System.

Co-written with Seth Ratzlaff, an emerging Mennonite writer and friend of Cachagee, the book’s co-authorship is guided by a spirit of friendship, equality, and respect.

In this insightful biography, Cachagee thoughtfully and graciously recounts a life haunted by unanswered questions and unaddressed trauma, revealing the challenges he experienced as a Cree

man of mixed heritage displaced into the Sixties Scoop in colonial Canadian society. Not afraid to disclose the dark periods in life, Cachagee also identifies the beauty throughout, illustrating how

cultural teachings, spiritual practice, and the embrace of community can lead to finding one’s voice and becoming a helper.

Sarah Salter-Kelly

Sarah Salter Kelly is a talented writer, healer and speaker. She utilizes the raw compounded teachings of her life experience to uplift, empower and guide others. Her wisdom is authentic, embodied and hard-won – generated through years of integrating the tragic homicide of her mother and learning to forgive the perpetrator – alongside 30 years of studying personal growth, mysticism, restorative justice, and earth-based healing traditions. Over the past 16 years she has run a private healing practice, facilitated retreats in Canada and in Peru, taught trauma-focused and shamanic healing workshops, and presented at conferences/public events. Most recently she has authored her first book Trauma as Medicine.

She is a mother, wife, and lover of organic gardening, as well as an avid outdoor enthusiast. Her spare time is spent exploring the edges of the wild for solace, connection and the challenge of physical endurance. Sarah resides in Spruce Grove, Alberta with her family.