About Those Fake Indians ....

[Guest guest]

The founder, Philip Cloudpiler Landis, is making a mockery of American Indian culture.

The Nemenhah website states:

Nemenhah Medicine Men and Women declare that Natural Healing is part of their Spiritual Orientation and that they will `First Do No Harm.' If you can make this declaration, the Nemenhah Band invites you to request Spiritual Adoption and join with the Community of the Nemenhah.

Membership is only by Spiritual Adoption. It is also the only way the Nemenhah Seminary can accept you into the program and designate you a Medicine Man or Medicine Woman. As a Nemenhah Medicine Man or Woman you will be able to practice your Healing Ministry under the full weight and protection of the Native American Free Exercise of Religion Act 1993 (NAFERA) and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act 1993 (RFRA).

After reading the Constitution of the Band, if you wish to request Spiritual Adoption and to begin your training as a Nemenhah Medicine Man or Woman, click on the link below, download the PDF application for spiritual adoption, fill it out, and mail with the suggested donation to (address) [end quote].

The suggested application donation -- and for every month thereafter for as long as the individual is a member of the Nemenhah Band -- is $250 US and is cheques are to be made out directly to Landis, not to the band to which they are making application. Hmmmm, there's something odd there don't you think?

Al Carroll, a Mescalero Apache, an author and Fulbright scholar with a Ph.D. who also moderates a website (www.newagefraud.org) dedicated to exposing people who exploit American Indian traditions for profit stated this with regards to the Nemenhah Band: "

[Guest guest]

There is a lot of that around here too, though perhaps not quite as bad. Around here it is more about revisionist history. A lot of the local tribes like to say they were always peaceful people who had a sort of Utopia going on before the settlers arrived at town. This flies in the face of the facts that all of these tribes had a proud warrior culture long before the settlers arrived and indeed that the town settlers found the locals in the middle of a brutal civil war, which is really the only thing that allowed them to get established. This is so because the tribes each tried to coax the whites into fighting on their side since the guns and metal weapons and armor would have made quite a difference. Had they instead unified and mass attacked the settlers, the settlers wouldn't have had a chance, fort and cannon not withstanding.

They also don't like to talk about the darker aspects of their history. Case in point is that many captured warriors were tortured to death. This included cutting of body parts or flaying off the skin with sharpened sea shells, burning alive, etc. Stories about this even passed up through my own family, some of the first over here witnessed such things. No written record remains, unfortunately. Still, my family never had any problems with the local Indians and so far as I know, none of the houses they built were fortresses. The one still standing is a typical residence of the period and would not have withstood an assault for very long at all.

The founder, Philip Cloudpiler Landis, is making a mockery of American Indian culture. An Excellent Credit Score is 750. See Yours in Just 2 Easy Steps!

[Guest guest]

There is also some of this here as well. Some of the tribes put on big shows with all the feathery clothing, dancing and chanting. However, there is a lot of question about just how authentic all of this is. Still, it draws crowds that spend a fair amount of money.

Another thing many do is to have very loose standards for who can consider themselves tribal members. I think it might be as small as 1/16th blood to be considered part of the tribe. I know a couple of people who are tribe members who are as white as can be. Its kind of insulting really how much some of them are into their "Indian roots." Under their standards, I could probably be considered tribal because of some intermarriage in the mid 1800's, but I just don't think it would be right to do so, since it is so dilute by this time.

At least they don't have casinos, at least not yet. I'm sure that would have people coming out of the woodwork to join the tribes.

That being said, white people who disrespect Aboriginal culture and make a mockery of it do far more harm than good in their fakery. What this Landis person has created is a MLM business for selling his snake oil products and abusing the concept of 'adoption' at the same time. An Excellent Credit Score is 750. See Yours in Just 2 Easy Steps!

[Guest guest]

wrote: " There is a lot of that around here too, though perhaps not quite

as bad. Around here it is more about revisionist history. A lot of the local

tribes like to say they were always peaceful people who had a sort of Utopia

going on before the settlers arrived at town ... <snip> ... "

Yep. Some tribes were more peaceful than others. The Abenaki were the most

democratic tribe in North America, allowing women to have an equal voice in

tribal politics to that of men, and allowing all adults in the village to vote

on important issues.

But then you have the Mohawk who are great beleivers in firing first and asking

questions later ... definitely noto what one would refer to as a peaceful

nation. LOL! Well, I suppose you could claim Mohawks are peaceful as long as

justice and balance as they perceive it is being adhered to otherwise Mohawks

can be pretty confrontational.

The Lakota are pretty peaceful overall until someone crosses their boundaries

and treats them unfairly.

In any case, my point is that any group of people can be more or less

confrontational dependent upon the situation.

That being said, white people who disrespect Aboriginal culture and make a

mockery of it do far more harm than good in their fakery. What this Landis

person has created is a MLM business for selling his snake oil products and

abusing the concept of 'adoption' at the same time.

He is as responsible for this 13 year old's death -- should it come to that --

as the boy and his parents themselves but people will not remember that Landis

is a white man. They will forevermore talk about the " Indians " who were

responsible for misleading the family about herbs and such.

Raven