Shane Patterson - Spiritual Advisor

Shane Patterson (Dakota Name Man Who Walks with the Sacred Hoop) hails from the great Dakota Nation of South Dakota.  Shane is an enrolled member of the Ihanktowan Dakota Oyate (End Village Nation) Band.  Since an early age, Shane began learning necessary traditional values, skills, exposure to ceremonies and other imperative forms of Dakota spirituality at an early age.  Shane’s childhood was with his mother and step-father Chief Neulan Dion Sr. Shane’s parents instructed him in the ways of the pipe and the Native American Church. Shane considers Dakota Spirituality a way of life that takes years of continuous learning to acquire and develop. Those early years of being introduced to Dakota traditions were integral to the development and acquirement of Shane’s morality and discipline in the traditional way of life.

Shane attended school at Marty Indian School where he was quite active on the basketball team until he left the reservation at the age of 17.  Shane graduated from Four Winds High School in North Dakota.  Today, Shane lives in Canada with his wife Linda and has five children together as a blended family.  Shane has made his residence in Winnipeg for the past 14 years living as permanent resident but recently came to be Canadian citizen in April 2010.  Shane is a graduate of the University of Manitoba double majoring with an Arts Degree in Native Studies and History in 2004.
Shane believes that Aboriginal people have always been a physically fit people in their ceremonial ways of life in past times.  Today, we do that in different ways with contemporary and traditional approaches to staying healthy.  Shane tends to be very active in the ceremonial way of life helping people of all nations in a spiritual and cultural manner.  Shane along with his wife follow a life of sobriety from alcohol and drugs and  believe that this is the path of Creator to living a long and enriching life on Mother Earth.  Shane is recognized by his peers, family and extended family as a spiritual man and Sundance Chief of the Oceti Sakowin (Seven Council Fires of the Dakota, Lakota and Nakota) but his humility sees him as a helper finding ways to shepherd the people of all nations back to the sacred hoop.  We must come back to the ho-choka (center) to find our way to become balanced again with Mother Earth and Creator.  The animals, nature and Mother Earth are talking but we as humanity are not listening.  The sacred voice is calling and within that we must come back to our traditions and continue on where our ancestor’s footsteps are.  In every seven generations, there are prayers and powerful thoughts that are spoken for the unborn.  The ancestor’s have said their prayers for us and now we must do the same for the next seven generations ahead.  This is our responsibility in our ceremonies and our way of life.
Mitakoyasin (All my Relations)  

Shane is the Spiritual Caregiver for the GEN7 Aboriginal Role Model Program and acts as an advisor to the GEN7 Messengers. You can read blog posts and cultural teachings by Shane on the GEN7 blog here.