Frank Settee, Spiritual Elder; Native Prison Liaison
by SARAH ROWLAND
It was an accident. That’s how Native Elder/ Prisoner Rights Advocate Frank Settee describes an after-school altercation with a bully that ended one life and changed his forever.
“We got into a tussle, and while were fighting, he slipped on a piece of ice on the street and fell back and bumped his head. He died.”
Landing in Stony Mountain Penitentiary for manslaughter was a far cry from how he was raised.
“I didn’t grow up criminally; I grew up traditionally and culturally sensitive to the spiritual path of my family,” he says. “However, that part of me lay dormant when I first entered the prison system. It wasn’t until later on that I began to realize I can apply all my teachings that I inherited from my ancestral lineage to help people. Since then, I’ve never looked back.”
Indeed, Settee has set up several self-healing awareness programs for First Nations inmates, including the Native Brotherhood Organization in 1958. After his release, he worked as a Native Liaison for the National Parole Board, conducting traditional ceremonies including healing circles and sweat lodges. Although Settee retired as Spiritual Elder at Corrections Canada two years ago, he still works tirelessly conducting community sweats and lending his rehabilitation expertise to various organizations.
“I’ve been told by a lot of people that I do need to slow down,” he says. “At first, I was reluctant but now I see where it is important to regain my physical strength and have that all in line with my spiritual strength, so I can continue to help the community.”
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