Hi! I am the widow of the late Cree Elder, Don Cardinal. I was with Don when he first met Michael Higgens at our Farm in Eastern Manitoba. I cannot go into great detail about Michael's battles with mental illness as that would be breaking confidence - but I will say that Don did not train Michael to be a healer. Instead, Don worked with Michael to help Michael find his healing. Don did not teach Michael extensively about herbs, nor was Michael at any time a healing apprentice to Don. As far as I know, Michael did not fully complete four years as a Sundancer - there were a few years where he was not able to complete the four-day ceremony. Michael did help chop wood and tend the fire as did many of the young men who visited our property and participated in the sweat lodge ceremonies.
A few years after Don's death, Michael showed up at my house. He said he was in Manitoba to Sundance and shared with me all about the "healing" he was doing in Europe. I saw him one other time after that and have not talked to him in years. Unfortunately, Michael Higgens is not the only person who has misrepresented their relationship with Don to further their own "careers." It's very upsetting.