North Wind Man Book

North Wind Man an Uplifting Story of Healing and Reconnection
 
This memoir details an Indigenous man’s journey of overcoming traumas to become a helper and leader in his community.
 
North Wind Man, a memoir of healing co-authored by Clarence Cachagee and Seth Ratzlaff, is the story of a Sixties Scoop survivor and his lived experience of addiction and homelessness.
Clarence Cachagee is now the Executive Director and founder of Crow Shield Lodge, a non-profit Indigenous organization that focuses on land-based healing and teaching for all nations.
 
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 Cachagee’s storytelling voice, the book includes interviews with family members, social workers, and community leaders, and integrates local history of the Waterloo Region and Chapleau Cree First Nation. 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.

"North Wind Man was a powerful reminder about identity, self-discovery, healing and recovery... For those intent on understanding the ups and downs of the walk to sobriety and healing, this is a must read." — Mary Anne Caibaiosai, Ojibwe Anishnaabe Artist.