"Now it is time, during the decades that we were connected to the University of Calgary we had many opportunities to work in surrounding Indigenous communities. Those opportunities resulted in lifelong friendships. We were often honoured by invitations to teach university classes onsite in Indigenous communities, participate in ceremonites, visit local schools, and speak at conferences. On numerous occasions local Indigenous leaders encouraged us to learn as much as we could about their culture, so we would be equipped to share our knowledge with the non-Indigenous world. Indigenous leaders whom we worked with were understandably concerned about developing a better understanding between Indigenous and non-Indigenous societies. To that end they welcomed us, taught us something about their ways, and encouraged us to share what we learned from them. This book is a collection of some of the information we gleaned with the hope that it will at least partially fulfill that given mandate"--Back cover.