Robert Strongbear, Zoongidemakwa (Strong-Hearted Bear), is an Anishinaabe-Ojibway Elder, Cultural Knowledge Keeper, and Pipe Carrier from Sagkeeng First Nation, Manitoba, who has dedicated his life to studying and learning from Indigenous Elders and serving Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples and communities. As a leader, healer and ceremony holder, culture and ceremony is foundational to Strongbear’s life and way of being, as he has been granted to hold sweat lodge ceremonies, pipe ceremonies, fasting ceremonies, and many other traditional ceremonies for Indigenous and non-Indigenous clients, staff and community supporters.

Strongbear uses a holistic approach, with extensive personal and professional experience providing Indigenous culture and ceremonies to individuals, families, youth and children who are struggling with self-identity issues, trauma, PTSD, depression, anxiety, grief, and those impacted by the Indigenous social history. He has had the privilege of working as an Elder and Spiritual Leader - providing guidance, education, ceremonies, mentorship, and programs across many of the Canadian provinces, including, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia - in effort to provide better outcomes, healing, and transformation for those in need.

In his own life, Strongbear has witnessed the effects of violence, gangs, substance use/addiction, trauma, and mental health struggles. He knows from experience the power of traditional indigenous practices, ceremonies, and spirituality for those seeking an honest, balanced, meaningful, and purposeful way of life. Strongbear has taken his lived experience with gangs and criminality and turned it into a beacon of hope for many. In his speaking engagements with schools and universities, and in his work with individuals, families, and groups, he shares his story and the crucial steps necessary to experience personal transformation. Strongbear’s story is an illustration of how one can overcome the impacts of trauma, stuck patterns, and social, racial, and socioeconomic barriers, while revealing the power and resilience that we as all human beings carry deep within - this is the essence of what he teaches through his commitment to ceremony.

Strongbear is available for speaking engagements, mentorships, hosting ceremonies and teachings. 

Email: strongbear.wholenesspsychology@gmail.com