Dr. Martha Many Grey Horses is a member of the Kainai First Nation of the Blackfoot Confederacy, Canada. She grew up on her parents’ ranch on the Blood Indian Reserve. Her parents raised her according to the traditional ways of her people and she was very close to the elders. Her home was a common site for ceremonial gatherings. Her parents valued work and making contributions to meet daily needs. Thus, as a child, she learned to tend to vegetable gardens, pick wild berries and take care of pets.

Riding horses was a daily activity for her family. Her grandmother owned a pair of clysdale horses that would be hitched to her wagon and then she would invite her grandchildren to climb aboard to go shopping in the nearby town. It was a happy childhood! At the age of six, Martha was sent to St. Paul’s Anglican Residential School. Life changed dramatically for her. When she entered the school, Martha did not speak a word of English. She survived the years of residential schooling and she continued with an academic career until she earned her Doctorate Degree in Educational Thought and Socio-cultural Studies. Dr. Martha Many Grey Horses has an extensive working background in education, health, research, policy, program, community and human development. She is committed to moving forward the spiritual principle of appreciation for cultural diversity. She has served various First Nations of Canada as well as American Indian tribes of the United States while she has lectured internationally.