One frozen tarp set too close to an oven to dry has seen an Elder from Waterhen Lake dream go up in flames. But thanks to modern fundraising efforts, that dream may still be available. Sid Fiddler is a former politician and academic and he has recently retired back to his community. He used his residential school settlement to help build a sweat house in his community in order to have a cultural gathering place where he can continue into his retirement doing what he loves- sweat lodge ceremony and family and community.

According to his son Damon Badger Heit, lots of love and time went into the house. Then tragically his log cabin sweat house burnt to the ground 3 days before it was to launch and have its first opening sweat. Damon has started a Go Fund Me page to help restore the building.  “He is devastated.  So being the good son that I am, I started a campaign to help him raise some fund to at the least, replace his materials for his sweat lodge, and at the most, help in rebuilding his dream.”

In just five days the fund has jumped to over $5000. These three paragraphs from the fund me page really capture the story.

“Sid is a residential school survivor of the Beauval Indian Residential School in Northern Saskatchewan.   Sid has dedicated his adult life to righting the wrong of the past, to reconciliation, healing and to the promotion of Cree culture and way of life.  

This Sweat house was a massive undertaking.  Sid invested his residential school settlement funding and savings towards this effort.  His goal was to turn the legacy of his abusive experiences at the Beauval Indian Residential school into a legacy of healing, wellness and family/community building.    

The Log Cabin Sweat house was constructed in the style of a northern bush cabin, however with some modern touches.  The front of the building was carved into a beautiful eagle and the interior was rustic in feeling with log benches, a spiraled centre pole representing all of humanity coming together and a beautifully crafted custom built fire pit.”

To help out Sid and his family, go to the following link: https://www.gofundme.com/v4fas3vm