Richard Wagamese was a storyteller and sacred clown in the spirit of his Ojibway culture. It gave him the keys to the theme park of his personal stories. He offered us a ticket on the roller coaster of his life, into the dark recesses of his soul to the highest mountain top of his spirituality. His writing takes you on a slow ferris wheel turn sitting with the mystery tramp on the street to the medicine man watching from above. This is who he was born to be, how he was to live and how he wanted to be remembered. He was a buffalo running on dream clouds where only the trickster knows where the teachings of life can be found.

When he became Wagamese, he finally discovered who he was — Muskode Pisheke Anaquat, which translates to “Buffalo Cloud.” It was given to him by an Elder after he reunited with his family at age 26, and learnt that he was an Ojibwe from the Wabaseemoong First Nation in northwestern Ontario. The Elder told him that his role was to be a teller of stories, a communicator, and a keeper of the great oral tradition of his people.

With this, he went on from being an abandoned child and homeless teenager to become one of Canada’s foremost storytellers and writers with a career spanning over 35 years. He transformed into the sacred clown in the spirit of his ancestors and with that, he became a renowned journalist, television, radio and documentary writer, producer and host, phenomenal speaker, and an award-winning author of 18 books.