Hello,
I happen to know Delmar Ashkewe personally. He is a distant cousin of mine, from the same reserve Chippewas of Nawash, Saugeen Ojibway Nation. I haven't seen or spoken with him since I left Toronto in 2004. I will admit openly that Del slept on my couch when he needed a place to sleep and has let me stay at his home when I needed help. This is around the same time as these original postings to this site questioning his authenticity. I know Delmar is Bear Clan, Bodewatomi, his artwork is in gallerys and museums around the world and if Im not mistaken, also the Vatican has one of his works (as do all of my Thunderbird and Woodland artist peers. My connection to Delmar goes back so far as to include him proposing back-in-the-day to my mother-who was also a teacher and healer before she passed). I met Paula Johnstone in 1995/96, before Delmar introduced us I had no previous knowledge of her. Over the years she told me her family past and I have accepted it. I have been present when their students have visited and they have actually recognized me years later and some have become friends of my immediate family.
Being also in the circles which culture, art, tradition, history are commonly discussed, I see very little in the way of evidence that Delmar is a fraud, other than he has the stones to call himself a Medicine man on a business card. I myself have had many chuckles with him over that. He has produced Mandalas for my son and me for which I am greatful. I think where People go off mark with Delmar is that he is extremely knowledgeable about many cultures worldview and this added to his own understanding of Mide knowldge and his ability to talk in terms of original root-word definitions sets his work apart in that a person who reads his 'teachings' may feel lost even though his writing is done in a way that seems elemental. His knowledge allows him to go a few more levels further into his teachings than oh, say a school teacher discussing arts and culture from a set curriculum. I have never seen Delmar ask anyone for money. In fact his artwork is too fine to be affordable. He once told me he was tired of art dealers and general frauds misappropriating his art and mass producing it...so that worry is everywhere.
I was even present in their home during a particularly active time when people on message boards would try to wipe out their site and cause them harm and stress. They took it in the spirit of education, but are effected by the negative attention, but I don't expect that to stop either of them.
I have only seen Paula once since they had split up. She is a facebook friend and I will keep her as one to mark that period of time when she was my cousin's partner and friend. I think the pair of them cut a newagey-looking presence and talk newagey and can come across as arrogant, but as far as Delmar goes, I think he has earned whatever knowledge he has. If he was only about the money, he could sell his artwork for more than the value of most peoples family cars. Now, I saw just a post or two above this where bigknife called Delmar a 'Jackass' and says he is 'playing himself up' perhaps bigknife would care to not play himself up and perhaps learn something about people, culture, traditions, spirituality, world religions, politics before he makes himself look the 'jackass'.
I mentioned in another post I was related to one of yor so-called frauds; actually, I think i am related to two: Delmar 'Immortal Thunder' Ashkewe and Jimmy LaVallee although I have never heard of Jimmy LaVallee before and am not sure where he is from. I do know that all Lavallee/Lavalley/LaVallee NDN and French are all related through the 18th century voyageurs. I have had my disagreements with Delmar over history, but I respect him because he knows more than any 50 peole you can put infront of him on the subjects of Human World View and Creationist history.
