Rising Thunder Healing Indigenous Experience

Immersive Experience
Immerse yourself in woods, stars and dances of the ancestors as the Aurora Borealis may shimmer and glow overhead, next to Canada's first dark sky community of Bon Accord.

Geodesic domes with amazing sky views are available. This 2 hour experience will find you strolling through our 20-acre National Healing Forest woodlands, sweetgrass and sage meadows, and the three sister's corn, pumpkin and bean gardens, working together in harmony on a guided tour where you will discover the Seven Teachings of the Grandfathers.

Indigenous Ways
Learn about the indigenous way of life, the land and spirit animals, as you immerse in landbased learning through a millennium of storytelling, with the guidance of Chief Standing Bear, Elder and Knowledge Keeper, Bill Bertschy and his collective, including visiting Elders and Farmer Tam. Experience a new way of being on the land as you shift your life and world perspective. Learn how to acknowledge the ancestors, and appreciate sacred plants and spaces as you wander through the Parkland Boreal Forest on the farm, then into the tipi in the woods, where you will enjoy locally sourced charcuterie & taste wild-apple and cranberry preserves with bannock and mint tea, while you learn how to braid sweetgrass, or bundle sage to take home.

Wildlife
Wildlife in the forest includes moose, deer, bear, raven, hawks, coyote, beaver, birds. The farm is directly under the flight path of migratory birds such as the sandhill crane, snow geese, Canada geese, trumpeter and tundra swans during spring and fall.

Canada's National Healing Forest
Respected Elder, Bill Bertschy (Nephew of Chieftain George) and Farmer, Tam Andersen are the champions of this Healing Forest, where trails meander through the trees to share the Seven Grandfather Teachings on Totem Poles carved by the Elder Bill, of the Standing Bear Clan, who hails originally from the Cedar Forests of the Salish Nation. Their efforts have resulted in the first Healing Forest to be created in Alberta on private land as a tangible action towards Truth and Reconciliation.

Indigenous Ceremony
While you are with us, participate in a deeply spiritual experience as you engage in prayer and ceremony that is way of life for Chief Standing Bear. Ceremonies with the Elders are offered as an act of reconciliation, and cannot be purchased. Ask about the Ceremony Calendar as event dates vary through the seasons.

Here are some of the Ceremonies planned:
Sweat Lodge Ceremony, Sundance, Pipe Ceremony, Ghost Dance. Inquire about
dates today. Donations are accepted to support Ceremonies, National Healing Forest and The Turtle Island Conservation Project.