Red Bull - Round Dance
Don Burnstick
Don Burnstick is a Cree from the Alexander First Nation located
outside of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The youngest of 15
children, coupled with the fact of growing up on the reserve,
taught Don a variety of means of defending himself, not the
least of which became his use of humour.
Don's young life was very violent. "I lived on the streets of
Edmonton as an alcoholic and drug addict. In 1985, when I
sobered up at 21, there were not too many 21 year old males
that were alcohol and drug free so I just started asking to
go and tell my story."
Burnstick obtained post secondary training at the University
of San Diego in holistic urban youth development. He also has
obtained certification as an Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor
and graduated from the Native Trainers Development program
at the Nechi Institute in Edmonton.
Don has now been involved within the healing/personal wellness
movement for the past 20 years and has utilized humour and
performance to provide a holistic approach to healing. His
message speaks to a proud heritage, the importance of healing
through humor and his continuing desire to leave a better world
for our future generations. Don wrote and individually performs
the play "I Am Alcohol - Healing the Wounded Warrior". In this
play, without preaching or moralizing, Don presents a gripping
dramatization of the addictive power of alcohol and drugs, and
the connections to other destructive forces that have plagued
the Aboriginal community.
In addition to his healing work, Don has established himself as
one of Canada's best comedian of all times. His highly acclaimed
comedy show "You Might be a Redskin - Healing Through Native
Humour", is a comedic performance, that humorously portrays First
Nations people, their habits, likes and dislikes.
www.donburnstick.com