Amos Owen, the spiritual leader of the Dakota people of Minnesota, came with two friends to give a healing ceremony for me after I'd had a second stroke. With him was his son Raymond, who carried the sacred pipe and assisted him.

The truth is that a civilization has been shattered, and is in need of rebuilding. This goes beyond the realms of politics and power. No leader, however enlightened, will be able to create a stable structure until new foundations have been laid.