SADDLE LAKE - The 4 Direction healing ride took place from Aug. 25 to 28, and included cowboys, horsemen, and women on wagons and horses, promoting health and wellness.
The event started with a sweat on Aug. 24 at the Eagle Healing Lodge. The lodge was also the starting and end point of the ride. The group camped at three different locations on the reserve and had live music and a steak supper when they arrived at the Cultural Park. This event is not a reinvention, but rather an idea that was brought back to life as it happened in the past, explained Lydia Half.
Seven teamsters, along with Josh Michaud from St. Paul, participated in the ride, along with several horsemen and women. The rain made some of the trails treacherous, but that did not stop the group. They enjoyed some scenic routes, had some good laughs at a few mishaps. And of course the food was excellent, catered by Leroy Half.
Members Dan Cardinal, Peter Cardinal, Jason Whiskeyjack, Louis Moosewah, Simon Wahsatnow, Glen Moosewah and Lydia Half would like to thank the Saddle Lake Cree Nation Chief and Council and Emergency Management Team for approving the event, as well as the Saddle Lake Health Centre and Eagle Healing Lodge for sponsorship.
Half also offered a thank-you to everyone who participated in the ride, and the visitors who joined them for meals. Someone also supplied fireworks at the dance, which provided a great ending to the event.
The ride will carry on for the next three years and welcomes new and old participants.
