During the COVID-19 pandemic, the founders of Three Wyndi’s Healing noticed that, while interruptions and changes occurred around the world, grief and trauma remained constant. 

Angie Cote, Leading Standing Eagle Woman, her husband Sheldon Cote, Bear Standing Outside, and sister Linda Dano-Chartrand, Day Star Woman from the Lynx Clan, used the lockdown to pursue their collective dream of starting a business.

On Jan. 13, Three Wyndi’s Healing held the grand opening of the Buffalo Healing Lodge in Fisher River Cree Nation.

The name Three Wyndi’s Healing refers to the Windigo, a creature in some traditional Indigenous stories. 

Dano-Chartrand explained her goal was to create a safe place for people to heal and learn while confronting trauma on an individual and community level.

The project was built with “no grants, no loans, no government involvement or chief-of-council involvement from any communities,” Angie specified, meaning that no outside funding for Buffalo Healing Lodge was used. Sheldon emphasized the importance of the Buffalo Healing Lodge remaining unaffiliated with any group. 

“This is for the people,” he said. 

“The only one who owns us is Creator.” 

Dano-Chartrand said she took a part-time job to support her personal expenses, since all the money earned from the Three Wyndi’s contract work went into the project. It did not feel like a financial burden, however, but a beautiful full circle moment, she said.

“It went back into the work that we do, so that we can continue to do the work with the people in the communities.” 

The original goal for the team was to build the Buffalo Healing Lodge off-reserve, but the co-founders faced government-related challenges. Instead, the group decided to locate the lodge in Fisher River Cree Nation, Angie’s home community.

Familiar in both western and eastern modalities, they share methods used to promote healing that vary from person to person.

“Not everybody is ready for ceremony,” said Angie. “Not everybody is ready for a counselling session. But maybe somebody is ready for a Reiki session, or a reflexology session or Shiatsu session.” 

“We really meet them where they are at.”

Both Dano-Chartrand and Angie emphasized the significance of combining western education with Indigenous knowledge to empower communities. 

Dano-Chartrand said her background as a registered therapist who has a master of social work was a possibility she hadn’t been exposed to growing up. 

“I was the first person in my community to graduate grade 12, I was the first person in my community to get a degree,” she said. 

Angie shared that she failed university classes as an undergraduate student at the University of Manitoba, but did not let that failure define her life. She continued to pursue education and is proud to have co-founded her own business. 

For Sheldon, spiritual guidance and life experiences gave him the wisdom that led him to where he is today within Three Wyndi’s.

Updates on the Buffalo Healing Lodge can be found on the Facebook page for Three Wyndi’s Healing.