5) Description of initiative: Iahkawennahniron means in Mohawk to have a strong spirit and especially refers in its gender meaning to the female in the direct translation. Our services are equally for males. We utilize traditional Indigenous ceremonies to heal the spirit, heart, mind and body and to restore the identity and pride in being Indigenous. Children-We work with children each week in children's teaching and healing ceremonies that teach the Seven Sacred Laws of Life to build self discovery, trust and allows the children to be the bearers of healing. Youth-Youth spiritual leadership camps involve survival on the land,gardens to connect with the spirit of the land and canoe trips where youth practice their ceremonies. Youth gatherings have been held in Canada and the U.S. Families-We work with group and families to end the cycle of violence and oppression that surfaces in self destructive generational violence such as drug and alcohol use, suicide,generational trauma of residential school abuses(sexual, physical, emotional, spiritual),military exploitation and loss of land, language, and way of life,dysfunctional family patterns, smuggling of guns, illegal immigrants, and contraband that fuels undergound economies and gun violence. Peace building begins with the individual who must feel, know and be taught the sacred medicine of life in the values inherent in ceremony and laws. We address individual conflict, group conflict in family strucures and organizatonal conflict of oppression. Activities- Ceremonies with spiritual guidance are the highest and most revered among our people for their sacred quality. We believe that the Creator made us and can communicate with us to address any problem. Pipe ceremonies, purification lodges, Sun Dance, vison quests, puberty rites, birthing ceremony, marriage ceremony, funeral rites, and fasting lodges are used to bring the individual into sacred balance as a Human Being knowing our roles and relationships on the Earth.

6) Description of innovation: Iahkawennahniron is the outcome of a vision received in three parts in 1990.1992 and 1994 giving sacred direction to leave the city and the life there to move home to the place where the Speaker (Diane Longboat) was born (Six Nations) to create a sacred fire of peace to offer healing so that the great nations of the Indigenous peoples could rise again and where the brothers and sisters of the human family could come to heal and find peace and live peace. The vision spoke of the sacred fire travelling the world to ignite the spiritual fires of humanity in unity. The healing of the Red Man and Red Woman was key to the restoration of the sacred balance of humanity for peace as told in prophecy by the visionaries of our people. The unique nature of our work is that it is traditional, Indigenous and spiritual in nature. As such, it can be applied to solve any human problem, the sacred fire is transportable anywhere in the world and ceremony is inclusive to those of all cultures. Our work transforms the human being emotionally and according to psychiatrists, changing the adult human emotionally is the most difficult. Our work transcends cultural and racial barriers because the spiritual nature of the work makes it universal. The Seven Sacred Laws are Love, Respect, Courage, Honesty, Humility, Wisdom and Truth. All appear in the ancient ways of the world and bind us together as human family. Our medicine bundles move with us as we travel and we take the teaching and healing ceremonies with us wherever we go. We work as a team of equal partners, recognizing the unique gifts of each person. The ceremonies are low tech and need access to land to function. These ceremonies have been done with Hindu, Sikh, Muslim, Christian, Jewish and Buddhist participants who see the interfaith benefits and the similarities with their own traditions. All of our work places ceremony at the centre of the resolution of conflict and the restoration of peace.

7) Delivery model: Our answers to life come from the land and the spirits of our Ancestors who hold messages there for us in those sacred strongholds. A prophecy foretold of a small group of people who would return to those sacred places to ask questions of the Ancestors. What remains for us to rebuild our Nations and help our people after the devastation of colonization, the genocide and the crushing poverty of today? The Spirits answered that each human must heal and rebalance to connect to the spirit of the land and seek out a relationship with the Creator. We found the remnants of the Elders' wisdom, the presence of the ceremonies usually held underground for fear of military reprisal and journeyed to find our own healing to become the spiritual and ceremonial leaders we are today. The journey of one is the journey of all. Today, we have a privately owned piece of property on the Grand River south of Toronto about an hour. There the lodges of healing stand: four purification lodges to heal the spirit, heart, mind and body, a tipi for men's ceremonies, a tipi for women's ceremonies, a children's purification lodge, gardens for food and medicines, an Ancestor Fire pit, an arbour to house the ever burning Sacred Fire, and an outdoor oven, debris hut and arbour made by the youth at the summer camp. People seek us out for healing and renewal of all kinds by word of mouth. First Nations call us on a regular basis to work with youth in crisis, diabetes education, traditional parenting styles,healing physical ailments and emotional/mental health issues to name a few things. We are often featured speakers and workshop leaders at conferences internationally and regionally. We do not have a web site, business cards, letterhead, nor are we incorporated. Our reputation provides the doorways for us to work internationally, in North America and locally all by word of mouth. We do not charge for our services, but groups give us donations for our work.

8) Key operational partnerships: We have partners for the international work such as those named below: Children of the Earth Foundation for mentoring the World Spirit Youth Council Shaping New Worlds Foundation for sharing the ways of the circle through Council as a new way of governing, organizing and conflict resolution. Global Council for Indigenous Spirituality and Well Being a sub-group of the World Commission on Global Consciousness and Spirituality for the application of new ways of being for humanity based on Sacred Law (governance, health, education, law, medicine etc.) World Wisdom Alliance for communication throughout the planet with organizations and individuals with common goals of restoring peace to bring balance to humanity through unity, brotherhood and love. Generation Seven a private health care company in Canada to participate as traditional healers in their program. Irenic Peace Studies Program at the Graduate Institute in Milford, Connecticut to teach about the Great Law of Peace and ceremonial life of Indigenous peoples. Institute of Traditional Medicine in Toronto, Ontario to teach a one year course on Indigenous healing practices with ceremony and time on the land. Centre For Nation Building in Akwesasne, Ontario for the philosophy and history of Indigenous reclamation of traditional government structures and models. These partnerships enable us to travel widely and offer our services to diverse groups of people and organizations. One meeting helps us connect to others.

9) Financial model: We reach all of target groups by word of mouth. We do not advertise. The groups that host us in their communities use government funding, private donations and community fundraising methods. The power and validity of our work is our strong point. The weakest point is financial. We have been given spiritual direction not to charge for ceremony, therefore, we live by donations. People give items in kind like firewood, food, clothing, tools and of course monetary donations, gifts of the heart. the financial issue is by far our greatest challenge. Our team is dedicated and committed to life long service. Daily needs more often outweigh the resources we have to keep afloat financially. We have learned the value of money, and the difference between need and want.

          • Costs as percentage of income: 10%

          • Financing: We have wished for some time to establish a private foundation to seek funds and hold them for the projects we have. In addition, we would like to have a non-profit business to run the programs. We also have plans for writing and distributing children's books on sacred stories and the messages that children and youth have for the world about peace that they have received in dreams and visions. There are many gifted Indigenous singers who are youth who want to put out a CD of their music to tell the world their stories of pain and the miracles of healing they have witnessed. these are plans that can generate income. Right now there is no source of funding for any of the infrastructure. We are a dedicated group of leaders trying to survive on the will of the people.

10) Effectiveness

          • Project outcomes: We have received many reference letters and cards from people who have over the last 16 years been totally changed by the healing process. Communities who havehosted us have done evaluations of the work and all have been outstanding. We continue to receive invitations to return to the host communities and they in turn tell other communities of the effectiveness of the work. I would say that with all of the gatherings and conferences we do today about 5,000 people per year benefit from our work. Over the last 16 years, I would say approximately 20.000 persons, many being repeat clients who are in the journey for life long transformation. We travel to First Nations in Canada and the U.S. As well, we travel iinternationally to forums and conferences to do interfaith ceremony.

          • Number of clients in past year: All programs grow incrementally, and ours is no exception. The early years were spent training the leaders we have today in the group and in helping our people locally. Over the years, as with Indigenous communities, the word spreads about the nature of the work and the many positive outcomes. Reputations are made on walking the talk. so in the last 6 years the work has become better known and more appreciated and ultimately called for more often. Easily 5,000 people have been part of the work over the last year through individual visits, workshops, family gatherings, meetings, local conferences, retreats, fasting lodges, ceremonial gatherings, international gatherings, international forums and conferences.

11) Scaling up strategy

          • Stage of the initiative: Mature stage.

          • Expansion plan: 1. Establishing a private foundation-to seek funds to stabilize the staff with salaries and hold funds for the programs, workshops, retreats and ceremonies. 2. Non-profit organization to fund the programs and services. 3. For profit business to sell the books and music of the youth. 4. Raise capital funds to build a ceremonial turtle lodge, accommodation for leaders and visitors, and kitchen/storage facilities on site to provide meals for groups staying on for events and extended healing for families.

12) Origin of the initiative: As a child growing up on a farm at Six Nations, I had many dreams and visions of spirits that I did not understand. Christianization affected my family and I did not have the opportunity to learn my culture and seek the answers spiritually to the visions. In my teens my family became subject to poverty, family violence from alcoholism and abuse. My mother took three children into the city to hide from the abuse and start an new life. The visions stopped once I left the land. In my later teens I began to attend ceremonies with Elders who brought me to an understanding of the meaning of life. They guided and taught me and I became balanced with healing. More visions came in 1990, 1992 and 1994 telling me to return to place where I was born to create a place of peace for the people where the Red People can become strong again and where all races of people can come to heal.

Contact Information:
Diane  Longboat
Speaker of Iahkawennahniron and Ceremonial Leader
IAHKAWENNAHNIRON-Having a Strong Spirit
(a ceremonial group unfunded, private, non-incorporated)
Box 721 OHSWEKEN, ONTARIO
Canada
Tel: (905) 304-8388 and (905) 516-1766
Fax: (905) 765-7041
Email: dianelivingspirit@sympatico.ca