How Aboriginal traditions, culture, and knowledge inform program practices and help NWTC clients to achieve wellness

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. // Willie J. Ermine, (M.Ed) is an Assistant Professor with the First Nations University of Canada. Willie is from the Sturgeon Lake First Nation in the north central part of Saskatchewan where he lives with his family. As a faculty member with the First Nations University of Canada, Willie lectures in the areas of Education, Humanities, Indigenous Studies and research methods. He has published numerous academic articles and contributed reports to the Tri Council Panel on Research Ethics. He has presented at various venues nationally and internationally and various national knowledge symposiums on the topics of education, research and in particular the nature of Indigenous thought. Willie has worked extensively with Elders in his research and promotes ethical practices of research involving Indigenous Peoples with particular interest is the conceptual development of the ‘ethical space’ – a theoretical space between cultures and world views.