With a Name Like Chief: Reflections on Recovery and Identity Through the Seven Sacred Teachings

Community leader and former Manitoba MLA, Kevin Chief shares his story of strength, resilience, recovery, and identity.

In With a Name Like Chief, Kevin frankly and honestly recounts growing up in poverty in Winnipeg’s North End, navigating the challenges of growing up in a single-parent home with his alcoholic father, becoming an MVP basketball star and captain of his university team, overcoming his own alcohol addiction to find recovery, and being elected to the Manitoba legislature twice.

Along the way, Kevin shares how many educators and mentors helped him succeed, as well as insights into how the Seven Teachings of the Anishinaabe have guided his addiction recovery and helped him gain a sense of his identity.

This memoir will resonate with readers interested in stories about personal growth and the transformative power of community. Foreword provided by Phil Fontaine, OC, OM.

Kevin Chief is a member of Minegoziibe Anishinabe First Nation (Pine Creek). Born and raised in Winnipeg’s North End, Kevin has dedicated his career to community and leadership development, including as co-founder of the Winnipeg Aboriginal Sport Achievement Centre and a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba. He is currently Community Ambassador for the Southern Chiefs' Organization, chairperson for Neeginan Education, Training and Employment Services, and Senior Advisor at True North Sports and Entertainment. Kevin is also well known as a high steppin’ square dancer with the Norman Chief Memorial Dancers.

Stu Slayen is a Winnipeg-based writer, editor, story-telling coach, and communications consultant. He works with non-profit organizations and businesses to discover and share the stories most likely to inspire donors, investors, and other stakeholders to act and engage. Prior to launching his independent practice in 2009, Stu served as editor and publishing manager at the International Institute for Sustainable Development, and as a magazine editor working on publications for youth, teachers, and agricultural producers. Stu is a graduate of the University of Manitoba and holds a journalism degree from Toronto Metropolitan University. www.stuslayen.com

Leticia Spence (they/them) is a Two-Spirit Ininew (Cree) graphic designer and illustrator from Pimicikamak, Manitoba, currently living in Winnipeg. A graduate of Red River College’s Graphic Design program, Leticia is an AuDHD creative whose work centres on authentic and well-researched cultural design across print, editorial, and digital media. Leticia's illustrations of the living creatures that symbolize the Seven Sacred Teachings are proudly displayed throughout With A Name Like Chief.