Today we honor a great soul, our beloved brother Standing Bear (Wayne William Snellgrove).
Born into the Saulteaux Nation on Fishing Lake First Nation, he was taken from his mother’s arms at birth during the Sixties Scoop. For the first 32 years of his life, he carried the deep wound of not knowing who he was or where he belonged. Yet even through that pain, his spirit remained strong.
Standing Bear rose to become an extraordinary athlete, a two-time USA Swimming National Champion and a member of the USA National Team in 1995.
He is remembered as the only Native American ever to reach that level in competitive swimming. His power, discipline, and grace in the water were legendary and undeniable.
But his greatest journey was not in the pool. It was his courageous return to his Indigenous roots. After decades of searching, he was lovingly reunited with his birth mother, Nora Smoke.
That sacred reunion began his healing and his walk on the Red Road — a path of forgiveness, cultural reconnection, spiritual awakening, and service to his people.
Standing Bear became a powerful voice for healing and truth. As an author, artist, musician, speaker, and spiritual teacher, he co-wrote Daily Medicine, offered ceremony inside prisons, and guided many through trauma and recovery. He turned his deepest pain into powerful medicine for others.
What made him truly beautiful was his enormous heart. Even after suffering so much injustice, he chose compassion over anger and forgiveness over bitterness. He forgave those who harmed him and taught others the sacred power of love and forgiveness.
Our beloved brother Standing Bear, you faced unimaginable challenges, yet you walked with such grace, humility, and strength. You lived your life as a true warrior of the spirit, swimming through the hardest waters with an open heart.
Thank you for your life. Thank you for your example. Thank you for the love and medicine you gave so freely.
We know there are great celebrations happening right now on the other side of camp. You are home, surrounded by all our ancestors who have been waiting for you.
We know that you and all our relatives are always closer than our closest veins.
With that knowledge, we go forward. Together, whether in this world or the spirit world, we will fulfill our collective vision of Peace on Earth.
May your journey be filled with light and joy. We will carry your teachings in our hearts. We will speak your name with honor. And we will continue the sacred work you so beautifully lived.
Travel well, dear brother. You are finally home. We love you, our brother Standing Bear. Always.