Oscar (Oz) De Los Santos, Tribal Thunder

[Smart Mule]

Received an inquiry about Oz De Los Santos. The following is the bio from his website http://tribalthunder.com -

Oz is a South American medicine man and is the youngest recognized elder for the Six Nations People. He has taught at colleges and universities, is an artist, a sculptor, a poet, a musician. He has extensive knowledge and practice with traditional herbal medicine, martial arts, sacred geometry, and is versed in many of the world’s traditions and religions, both past and present.

He claims to be an honorary elder for Six Nations but I have no idea who gave him that title, it's no where to be found. He teaches a mishmash of shamanism, drumming techniques, herbalism, mandala building and his own type of martial arts. He's managed to integrate himself into the local FN health clinic.

[WINative]

Considered an elder by the Six Nation, De Los Santos teaches his "Warrior's Roadway" at the de Dwa Da Des Neh's Centre in Hamilton and was recently asked to form two discussion groups in Woodstock and Innerkip.


http://www.woodstocksentinelreview.com/2008/09/22/lifelong-dedication-to-religion-doctrine

[Smart Mule]

Journey Into The Three Worlds Learn, experience and share in traditional
South-American Shamanic techniques for the recovery of one’s spirit self.
Workshop & Meditation $60.00  Sunday November 18 th 4PM – 7PM  O
In this workshop Oz brings his gifted vision, wisdom as well as traditional shamanic technique from both Peru and the Amazon. In this exciting and insightful event discover the role of the drum, its rhythms, trance states and how those altered states are used in healing ceremonies. In this 3 hour presentation, not only is the method described and taught, but you will experience and participate in the energetic recovery of a fellow traveler soul energy. Expect to come away with many insightful principles and insights from this modern day medicineman versed in ancient shamanic traditions.

Participants need to be open minded, willing to explore and expand their consciousness in a playful and safe environment as well they must also be prepared to have their world view challenged.      Oscar De Los Santos (a.k.a. Oz) is one of the youngest recognized elders for the Six Nations people. A teacher for 11 years at the Aboriginal Health Centre in both Hamilton and Brantford, Oz is also the founder of Tribal Thunder and author of the Warriors Road Way.

Take all 3 workshops for $100 and receive a free gift!

(my bolding)https://whiteflamecompany.com/shamanic-weekend-workshop-package-white-flame-company/

That's a lot to come away with in a very short time. No mention of who his teachers are or who at Six Nations made him an elder.

[WINative]

https://www.facebook.com/lovetribalthunder/

Nothing he does or sells looks Hotinuhsu:ni or Six Nations, but I'm asking around about him.

He looks like typical Nuage fake selling a mix-match of other people cultures and beliefs.

[educatedindian]

De Los Santos is likely not Native. He's a white Uruguayan. Uruguay has an extremely tiny Native population. It's 94% Euro ancestry, with the remaining 6% also Black and Asian. And yes, he "teaches" a hodge podge.

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http://www.woodstocksentinelreview.com/2008/09/22/lifelong-dedication-to-religion-doctrine
Born in Uruguay in 1970, the Delhi native describes his adjustment to Canadian life as difficult, even using the term "brutal" to describe his experience....

De Los Santos became versed in all religious doctrines and found himself studying with medicine men and even a Wiccan high priestess.

Friends from India introduced him to the Sanskrit text Bhagavad Gita.

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https://www.emmyshanti.org/about
Specializing in Supported Movement & Dance (injured to senior)
Chanting & Relaxation
Adventure Medicine
Movement Alchemy
....I am apprenticing with Oscar De Los Santos, considered one of the youngest recognized elders of the Six Nations; learning his teachings of "The Warriors Roadway." Accessible and practical spiritual technology for the application in navigating fluctuations of daily living. I am also assisting with specific Tribal Thunder events....

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https://www.blogger.com/profile/13713458155126939444
Jane (A.K.A. Ativah, The North Wind) I am a Spiritual Warrior, a student of the Warriors Roadway and an advocate of Oscar (Oz) De Los Santos and Tribal Thunder. Through the teachings of the Warriors Roadway I found the courage to break away from the so called normal expectations of society and seek a more rewarding and exciting life. I have dedicated myself to helping Oz....

http://iammusing.blogspot.com/
Rune of the Day
Each day I will post a Rune to help guide you through your day.
Interpretations by Oscar (Oz) De Los Santos – Oscar has studied the runes intensively and devised these interpretations which are the most clear, concise and to the point....
It has been his relentless pursuit of truth through which the teachings of the Warrior's Roadway evolved. This set of teachings involves 5 Principles, 47 abstract cores and four masteries....He is well versed in herbology, martial arts, sacred geometry...

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Moved to Frauds.

[WINative]

None of the people I talked to in Six Nations who are active in their community ever heard of him. So he must be slipping through the cracks.

[educatedindian]

A college student is making a documentary on Santos. Here's my response to his email asking about the Tribal Thunder site.

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Santos sells virtually nothing that's actually Native:
Tarot is European.
Mandalas are from India.
Sun tea is from Asia.
Elixirs are from Euro paganism.
Didgerido is Australian Aboriginal.
Most of the rest are vague self help, pop psychology, or Nuage.
Cymatix seems to be his own hokey teaching.

Almost all of it is appropriation and misrepresentation. All of it is unethical, exploitative, and falsely presented as something it's not. It's deliberately designed to appeal to those who know the least about Natives.

Actual Native elders are in their communities. They don't sell out their culture online for profit to outsiders.

I hope you go forward with your film and discuss his falsehoods at length. Is this near Toronto? There are many urban Indians and local communities you could ask their opinion about this. I urge you to include their voices.

[educatedindian]

I received an email from Tribal Thunder. Followed by my response.

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Hi, I hope your day is going well.
I work with Tribal Thunder, and its founder Oscar De Los Santos. Earlier this summer it came to my attention there were some issues with wording on our website, and misinterpretations which needed clarity. There is dialogue on your website in regards to this. After viewing the concerns on your forum we went through our own website with a fine-toothed comb to be more precise in wording and remove anything that may be a source of miscommunication.
It has been a few months now since the initial "chat" displayed on your site. Is it possible to remove the form posting or update it with a proper and correct response?
Oz has been working in the aboriginal community for over 16 years, and there are many people of Six Nations who consider him an asset. Although there are a great number of people who can and would testify on behalf of the integrity and honourability of Oz, it only takes a few comments left unresponded to, to cause a potentially difficult situation (simply, it would be a great shame if Oz could no longer serve the people as he has for so long).

Please let me know the best way to set things clear and the best course of action from your perspective. The work you do, and the truth your website offers is a great service and I appreciate your thoroughness when responding to the issues posted on your website.

With respect and kind regards,
-Ashley Camara

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Hello Ms. Camara,

We do not remove postings from our site, ever, especially not because a Nuage site asks us to in order to protect their business/profits.
We move research threads to No Longer a Matter of Concern if our evidence was in error, or if exploiters or frauds change their ways.

The facts remain: De los Santos is a white Nuager, posing as a Native medicine man for over a decade for profit.
He "teaches" an exploitative Nuage hodgepodge, cobbled together from many traditions, none of them depicted or taught accurately.
He falsely claims to be a Six Nations elder. He's an outsider, and none of our members could find anyone who'd heard of him. Online searches show he peddles almost entirely to whites, worst of all to schools. That any Six Nations use him or rely on him would be destructive colonialism.

A few rewordings on his site doesn't change any of the above. Only if your group quit peddling false exploitative versions of indigenous traditions, and De los Santos ceased posing as a medicine man, would the thread be moved.

Is he, and is your group, willing to quit being exploiters?