Acknowledgments

First and foremost, we acknowledge the hand of the Creator in the writing of this book. It is He who guided Larry Olsen to the hills, presented Ezekiel Sanchez (Good Buffalo Eagle) the dreams, gave Pauline Martin Sanchez (Gentle White Dove), a Navajo tribal member, the language of the Ancient Ones, and put the narrative into the heart of James Ferrell.

When Larry was twelve years old, he found an obsidian arrowhead in his uncle’s field. His find sparked a lifelong quest to learn and replicate the primitive technologies of the ancient peoples who had walked the land before him. In the early 1960s, Larry began teaching outdoor survival classes. In 1968, he led his first thirty-day expedition. To his surprise, the students not only found value in learning the skills but also reported making profound changes in their lives after applying the simple truths they had learned living primitively among nature.

Among these students was a young Totonac Indian from Mexico named Ezekiel. When Ezekiel was a child, his responsibility was to capture small game and gather wild edibles to help feed his father’s large family. He spent his youth working in the migrant fields until the age of nineteen. Larry immediately noticed his familiarity with nature and asked Ezekiel to join him. This was the start of a long and trusted friendship. Larry and Ezekiel developed a university course, which in 1969 won a National Education Award: “Youth Rehabilitation through Outdoor Survival.”

Over the next several years, thousands of students participated in courses that Larry and Ezekiel developed. In 1988, Larry asked Ezekiel to join him in the creation of “ANASAZI Foundation, the Making of a Walking.” Pondering the invitation, Ezekiel was given two dreams. The first dream is being fulfilled today through the work of the foundation. The second dream begins with the publishing of this book.

Ezekiel’s wife, Pauline, assisted in the creation of ANASAZI’s early curriculum, which centered around seven elements found in nature. They called this “The Seven Paths of the ANASAZI Way.” In 1989, Larry, Ezekiel, and Pauline became acquainted with Dr. C. Terry Warner, a professor of philosophy and founder of the Arbinger Institute. Fascinated by their work, Dr. Warner later commissioned James Ferrell, a scholar and his former student, to put “The Seven Paths of the ANASAZI Way” into a narrative account.

Our heartfelt thanks to you, James Ferrell, Dr. Warner, and the Arbinger Institute, for your gracious gifts and commitment to merge the philosophy and vision of ANASAZI into a narrative that is helping countless hearts to “walk forward in the light.”

We also acknowledge the incredible people who have worked with us over these many years. With recognition to Bob Gay, Lester Moore, Paul Smith and Sterling Tanner, without which ANASAZI would not have survived difficult times. We can do little more than bow down before you in gratitude for the sacrifices you have made and for how you have touched our lives.

Also deserving mention are the many generous contributors who have given much to further the work of ANASAZI. Of special mention: Sherrell Olsen, Susan Warner, Gaylene Merchant, Lynette Gay, Brenda Tanner, Jeanie Moore, Lyn Smith, Stephen R. Covey, Barbara Bush, Steve and Barb Young, Forever Young Foundation, Wynonna Judd, Marie Osmond, Dale Tingey, Richard and Mimi Peery, Tom and Jan Lewis, Bob and Diana Hunt, Thom and Gail Williamsen, the Sorensen Legacy Fund, Mac and Susan Dunwoody, Wayne and Connie Greene, Ross and Anita Farnsworth, Marc and Angela Tahiliani, Harry Tahiliani, Dinah Lundell, Richard Ferre, Rich and Krista Haws, and Ralph and Glenda Earle.

To Lehi Sanchez (Thunder Voice Eagle), we thank you for the beautiful art in this book.

And a last word of acknowledgment goes to Seth Adam Smith, who gave a worn copy of the original manuscript to the wonderful team at Berrett-Koehler Publishers and diligently worked for its publication. And to Jeevan Sivasubramaniam, managing director, Editorial, who read it and believed.

—Michael J. Merchant

President, ANASAZI Foundation