"Oceti Wakan (Sacred Fireplace) is a vision shared by Pete Catches Sr. (Petaga Yuha Mani) and his son Peter V. Catches (Zintkala Oyate), both Spotted Eagle medicine men of the Oglala Lakota. In Pete's words, Oceti Wakan is a response to events that have devastated the Dakota people over the past six generations, and is focused on creating a place "for the healing of the family as a whole by rekindling Lakota spiritual values and culture." Sacred Fireplace is part of Pete Catches' contribution to making his vision a concrete reality. A healer and teacher, Petaga Yuha Mani (He Walks With Hot Coals) was credited with reviving the traditional Sundance ceremony among the Lakota. In 1964 he was named Sundance chief by the Oglala Sioux tribal council, the only such distinction in tribal history. Pete Catches lived on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota throughout his life, and for decades healed and instructed both Native and non-Natives near his home and off the reservation. This book describes his struggles to embrace the Spotted Eagle medicine way, Lakota legends and ceremonies, and reflections on the history and culture of his people and on his own life. Long awaited by those who knew Pete Catches and his work, Sacred Fireplace is a major legacy of his exemplary life and the essence of his teachings in his own words"--Back cover.

"A Native American healer, teacher, and activist, Rolling Thunder is known to millions of people all over the world through his stories and talks, through Doug Boyd's book about him, and the Billy Jack films, which were based upon incidents in this life. This book, long overdue by those who knew Rolling Thunder and his work, is a major legacy of his extraordinary life and the summation of his teachings and in his own words. As controversial and plain-speaking as Rolling Thunder himself, it exhorts, enlightens, and teaches through anecdotes and stories, forces us to listen and to think, and carries on his primary mission: to bring Indian knowledge to non-Indian people." -- Publisher's description

This is a whole body approach by using the ancient healing tool of the medicine wheel. It has 56 lessons starting with the Physical Body, then the Emotional Body, then the Spiritual Body, and then the Mental Body. They go around the medicine wheel 14 times over a school year period to learn the tools to be able to make healthy choice, to break the cycle of addiction, and to prevent suicide.