Trail of the Spirit

George Blondin is a Dene Elder who was born in 1923 in the Northwest Territories.He has been a wilderness guide,a miner,a trapper,Vice President of the Dene Nation,and in 1989 was elected chairman of the Denendah Elders Council.He now works parttime with the Dene Cultural Institution and writes articles for local newspapers.In 1990,Mr.Blondin was the recipient of the annual Ross Charles award for native journalism.He is the author of When the World Was New and Yamoria the Lawmaker.

In this new collection of stories,Dene Elder George Blondin defines medicine power,a gift from the Creator for the Dene way of life.Although medicine power has existed since before time began,here Blondin focuses on the past two hundred years,to show how it has shaped the Dene culture.Some are lucky enough to be born with,and the medicine power that some receive after birth or are taught by other medicine power people.This collection of stories and examples of Dene individuals who lived throughout history shows that there is a danger of losing the longstanding tradition of medicine power.Although this power can be used for both creation and destruction,it must be preserved as a vital element of the Dene way of life.In The Mysteries of Medicine Power Revealed,Blondin is our storyteller—ringing medicine power to life with true stories from Dene history.Blondin explains medicine power clearly,and brings a better understanding of this extraordinary phenomenon into the world.Includes a foreword by Richard Van Camp.