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Supplemental material, sj-docx-1-aln-10.1177_11771801231178028 for The Alberta Indigenous Mentorship in Health Innovation Network: approach, activities and reflections of an Indigenous mentorship network programme by Cheryl Barnabe, Rita Henderson, Adam Murry, Janelle Baker, Jennifer Leason, Cheryl Currie, Karlee Fellner, Robert Henry, Cora Voyageur, Lynden Crowshoe in AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples

The inspiration for this theme edition, Indigenous Youth as the New Warriors,emerges from the work of Kanien'Kehaka (Mohawk) scholar Taiaiake Al��fred. In his thought-provoking book, Wasdse: Indigenous Pathways of Actionand Freedom (2005), he challenges Indigenous peoples to take the "new war��rior's path, a journey of making meaningful change in our lives and to transforming society by recreating our existences, regenerating our cultures and surging against the forces that keep us bound to our colonial past" (p. 19). Disrupting colonial myths associated with the warrior as one who is violent, militaristic, and male gendered, Alfred puts forth a contemporary and culturally rooted expression of the "new warrior." The "new warrior" is one who is deeply committed to the regeneration of Indigenous peoples' integrity by reconnecting to their sources of strength that include their lands, spirituality, cultures and languages, and each other. Drawing on this metaphor of the "new warrior" in this theme issue, we wanted to highlight the ways in which Indigenous youth demonstrate the ethos of the "new warrior" as they respond to challenges, seize opportunities, and facilitate positive change in their families, schools, communities, and Nations., Canadian Journal of Native Education, Vol. 34 No. 1 (2011)

While mental health services continue to make efforts toward greater cultural sensitivity, research, education, and practice in these fields remain grounded primarily in Western Eurosettler principles that have been applied in colonization. Addressing the dearth of culturally relevant and appropriate research in Indigenous mental health, the current project applied isîhcikêwin – the author’s Indigenist nehiyaw-otipemisiwak (Cree/Métis) research paradigm to address the question: How can mental health services (be shaped so as to) better serve Indigenous peoples living in urban spaces? isîhcikêwin is based in the author’s lived experiences as a mobile nehiyaw-otipemisiwak woman who is an oskâpêwis (helper) and participant in traditional ceremonies. This framework draws on Wilson’s (2008) conceptualization of research as ceremony alongside the work of other Indigenous scholars (e.g., Archibald, 2008; Castellano, 2000; Graveline, 2000; Holmes, 2000; Kovach, 2009; Marsden, 2005; Smith, 1999). Following isîhcikêwin ethics and protocols, the author had conversations with sixteen Indigenous mental health professionals and hosted a talking circle. The author used Indigenous holistic meaning making in coming to understand iyinisiwak (knowledge holders’) perspectives, weaving together the stories of iyinisiwak, her interpretive synthesis of their knowledges, and her own personal narratives. The findings comprise a decolonizing framework that is presented as a braid of sweetgrass consisting of three strands: (a) what isn’t working in mental health service provision, (b) restor(y)ing approaches to wellness as ways forward in Indigenous health service provision, and (c) how services can make these transformations. Findings address how approaches to Indigenous wellness in urban spaces may be transformed through the adaptation and application of a medicine bundle framework that incorporates community-based perspectives on love, good relationships, Indigenous knowledges, living a good life, responsibility, identity and belonging, and land. These findings include critical implications for researchers, educators, theorists, practitioners, policy-makers, and other stakeholders whose work involves an aim to contribute to healing and wellness with Indigenous communities. Consistent with isîhcikêwin, the current dissertation alternates between a scripted dialogue and a conversational style with the reader. This form of representation honours the voices of the author and iyinisiwak, and contributes to research that is congruent with isîhcikêwin from conception to completion.