Hi! As you can probably tell from my user name, I'm from Winnipeg, Manitoba. I think you are
providing a good service with this forum. I have learned a lot here in a short time. I'm especially
interested in knowing who's who in my local area so that when one of the fakes gets some media
attention or a friend starts shelling out major cash for one of their "workshops," I'll be better
informed. I'm looking forward to visiting this forum again and learning even more.
I thank all of you who are working so hard to expose the fakes.
(Just adding some stuff to say more about myself and why I'm here.)
I have no Native ancestry myself (white, anglophone Canadian descended on all sides from
immigrants from Eastern Europe). I had no idea how extensive the problem of cultural exploitation
was until quite recently, and it isn't something I've discussed with very many people, Native or
others. I've fallen for some silly stuff that "sounded good at the time" - some of the fraudulent
authors have gotten some royalties off some of my stupid choices of reading material
but I'm wiser now - no more of that silly Carlos Castaneda cr*p!
(removing some stuff that does not belong, adding more below)
My main reason for joining this site is that I am concerned about a friend who seems to keep
getting involved with new age types, and I think she is being taken advantage of. I am removing
earlier comments because the folks she is involved with may not fit into the "plastic shaman"
category but into a much broader "new age fraud" or just "new age" category. If I learn that any
of them are doing something that seems exploitive of Native cultures, I'll post something in the
"research needed" section.
