Harley Eagle is of Dakota & Ojibway Indigenous ancestry. He is a member of the Whitecap Dakota First Nations Reserve, in Saskatchewan, Canada. Since September 2014 he has lived in Courtenay, British Columbia with his partner Sue and two daughters and has primarily worked with Island Health as a Cultural Safety Facilitator. Island Health as a health authority is the largest employer on the Island with a staff of 20,000, and over 8000 volunteers and contractors. His role as cultural safety facilitator is to initiate and implement cultural safety practices and values throughout the organization that create safe settings for Indigenous patients, families and communities. This position was the first of its kind in Canada and is seen as a leader in Cultural Safety approaches. Recently Harley has reduced his role at Island Health and increased his consulting practice. He specializes in Restorative Justice and other conflict management strategies, anti-racism and anti-oppression, trauma informed practice, and cultural safety trainings and initiatives. Circles are a foundational element to this work.
Before his role with Island Health Harley and his family lived in Winnipeg, MB Canada and the Oglala Lakota Nation in South Dakota, USA (Pine Ridge Reservation) where he has held leadership positions focusing on Indigenous Issues working for a Mennonite Central Committee, a social justice International service and relief organization. This work allowed him to connect with Indigenous Peoples globally while working collaboratively with organizations and connections made through the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. He has been involved in several initiatives that address patterns of colonial oppression such as the Doctrine of Discovery and the legacy of Indian Residential Boarding Schools and other oppressive policies.
Harley also has been a long time Restorative Justice Practitioner and Conflict Transformation Facilitator and holds a MA from Royal Roads University in Conflict Analysis and Management as well as a Healing from Trauma certificate.
For well over 20 years he has designed and facilitated workshops and activities that strive to recall and re-claim Indigenous understanding of life. For many years Harley has been a dismantling racism trainer/facilitator and contract instructor and guest lecturer at several Universities across North America. Harley has had the opportunity to travel extensively meeting with Indigenous Peoples and is often invited to present nationally and internationally at various conferences and organizations about issues pertaining to his work. Currently he works with clients across many sectors including, government social service and advocacy agencies, health care, for profit companies, faith-based agencies, policing and non-profits.