In Native and Christian: Indigenous Voices on Religious Identity in the United States and Canada, 223. New York and London: Routledge, 1996.

Clement Bear Chief (Siksika) is director of welfare for the Siksika Nation in Gleichen, Alberta.  He is active in the Strathmore ward of the Mormon Church and serves as a group leader for the high priesthood, an organization of older men in the local community.  Bear Chief's account of his religious experiences was written for the Mormon journal Dialogue as a personal testimony for the benefit of other Mormons, not as a tool for conversion or object of theological debate.  He was raised in the Anglican church and learned traditional ceremonies from his grandparents, and later prepared to become a priest by studying religion in college.  In this essay, Bear Chief describes his childhood fear of Mormon missionaries, his struggle with alcoholism, and his subsequent involvement in the Mormon Church.  Dreams and visions have played a prominent role in Bear Chief's spiritual life, and have led him to find a sense of meaning, purpose, and identity in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

© 2008 by James Treat