WindEagle and RainbowHawk's proper name is Kinney-Linton, as there are a few entries which mention this as their family name, e.g.:
http://www.if-wiener-kreis.com/index.php/kongresswien/referenten/ „2—3-2005 Personal Assistant of WindEagle and RainbowHawk Kinney-Linton, Ehama Institute, New Mexico, Training as Council Guide“
Ms WindEagle's lawful name seems to be Colleen Kinney-Linton, according to an entry in MyLife, as it belongs to a person of the same age (63) and with a residence in Abiquiu, NM. Mr RainbowHawk may be a plain 'Linton' in real life.
The Kinney-Lintons claim ndn descent but seem to prefer to call themselves 'Metis'. A few websites mention that RainbowHawk (i.e. Mr Kinney-Linton) is a descendant from the Delaware, while his wife is said to be of Mahegan or Mohican descent. They claim to teach „Origin Teachings of the Delicate knowledge […] rooted in the Mayan and pre-Mayan cultures“ of which they were the „twin keepers“. Some websites call their teachings 'Earth Wisdom Teachings'.
The Kinney-Lintons founded the so-called Ehama Institute which first operated in California, but is situated in New Mexico presently:
An article
http://www.thewisdommeme.com/Articles1/earthwisdomandleadership.htm offers a few details re their CV:
WindEagle had over twenty years experience in teaching and counselling, before she met with Rainbow Hawk. After serving in the US Navy in World War II he had run a successful architectural and building company in San Francisco. They both spent many years of study with Native American medicine teachers, before independently becoming Medicine Keeper Chiefs.
Many of the websites mentioning a prior training with the Kinney-Lintons are maintained e.g. by psychotherapists and consultants who offer management training courses, and the Kinney-Lintons also advertise respective courses. They mention impressive companies they did courses for. So they are obviously out for a wealthy clientle able to pay substantial amounts for such courses, and, through various courses and seminars, train others to offer seminars of their own.
Selling ceremonies thus seems just one and probably not a major field of activity for the Kinney-Lintons, although some of their price tags are impressive:
Eight Intelligences ceremony - $ 60
First Peace Intro - $ 35
First Peace Principles and Practices - $ 90
Seed Planter Training - $ 750
Hudson Valley NY 05/18-22, 2011
Art & Medicine Camp - $ 750
NM 06/11-17, 2011
Evocative Leadership Mastery Intro - $ 800
NM 06/22-25, 2011
Germany 06/30-07/03
20count/First Peace Ceremony - $ 700
DK 07/06-10, 2011
Sundance Denmark 07/15-25 - $ 180
Vision Quest, DK - $ 1,400
DK 07/15-25, 2011
Seed Planter Training - $ 750
Temagami, Ontario 06/12-17
Potters Farm WI 09/06-11
Black Lodge III, cer #4 - $ 1,400
Their seminars take place in New Mexico, New York, Wisconsin, Canada, Scotland, Denmark, and Germany. Apart from sundance and vision quest which both will take place in Denmark, seminars are done mostly on their own stuff, some of them seem to be meant to educate further 'teachers'. It is perhaps somewhat peculiar that the actual places are not mentioned beyond very general information, like „Jylland, Denmark“ (a region in the Northern mainland part of Denmark) or „Germany“.
The Kinney-Lintons also use the medicine wheel in their 'teachings'. That 'black lodge' announcement at their site reminds me of the Deer Tribe seminars, but as far as my research went, I could not establish a regular cooperation between the Kinney-Lintons and DT with certainty.
Although the Kinney-Lintons aim at management consulting, their Ehama Institute is registered as tax exempt since 7/1987:
http://www.taxexemptworld.com/organizations/abiquiu-nm-new-mexico.asp „Religious Organization (Religion Related, Spiritual Development N.E.C.)"
Despite this, the Kinney-Lintons do not hesitate to mention, at their website:
http://www.ehama.de/orange_e.html Beginning in 1996 WindEagle and RainbowHawk and members of the Ehama staff began regular teachings each year in the United Kingdom and in Europe. For six years the teaching and training programs have been offered in Germany, Austria, Denmark, Finland, Ireland and United Kingdom in six week tours, four times a year.
[...]
Some of their worldwide business clients include Volkswagen, BMW, Lucent Technologies, US Air Force, Mattel Media, MG Taylor, World Business Academy, McCown DeLeeuw & Co., Honeywell and Schweisfurth Foundation.
A few more companies get mentioned here in a report about a seminar with the Kinney-Lintons:
http://admin.mywebkit.de/webkit/websites/lzfo/lifes8/index.cfm There are no chiefs meeting here to let a peace pipe circle, but the crème de la crème of global corporations – CEOs from General Motors, from telecommunications giant AT&T, from the World Bank or from McKinsey & Co. mean to learn to stop being profit oriented managers and instead become team players in the ancient ceremony of the Indian council meetings.
And still a few more:
http://www.thewisdommeme.com/Articles1/earthwisdomandleadership.htm For the last eight years RainbowHawk and WindEagle have been working within business organisations worldwide and sharing the teachings of Earth Wisdom. Their clients include Mattell Corporation, Lucent Technologies, Honeywell Computers, US Airforce, The Chartered Institute of Personnel Development, BMW, Volkswagen, Interclass, McCown Deleeuw & Co and the World Business Academy.
The article also offers some details regarding the number of persons trained by the Kinney-Lintons:
There are now around 350 EHAMA trainees and the word is steadily spreading. The Institute has an affiliated centre in Germany and new programmes are starting in Austria, Denmark and the USA. In the UK, EHAMA teaching is spearheaded by Mike and Patricia Bell, co-founders of The Wisdom Meme Ltd, following their five years of study, including two years spent with the institute in California .
So just with the info taken from three websites, the list of companies is quite impressive:
BMW, Lucent Technologies, US Air Force, Mattel Media, MG Taylor, McCown DeLeeuw & Co., Honeywell, Schweisfurth Foundation, General Motors, AT&T, World Bank, McKinsey & Co., Mattel Corporation, Volkswagen, Interclass.
The idea seems to be to cash in from the global players while whining „charity“ at the IRS, while conveniently forgetting to mention just exactly for whom the institute apparently is highly -errrm: charitable.
The Kinney-Lintons also make use of the label '2012':
http://whendoestheworldend.com/beyond-2012-opening-ceremony-by-windeagle-and-rainbowhawk.html Beyond 2012 Opening Ceremony by WindEagle and RainbowHawk
Beyond 2012: A New Civilization Conference presented May 2010 by the Shen Foundation in Forres Scotland. WindEagle and RainbowHawk are keepers of an ancient body of Wisdom, called the Origin Teachings of the Delicate knowledge – a long oral tradition rooted in the Mayan and pre-Mayan cultures
A few examples of persons who advertise themselves as management consultants:
http://ganzheitliche-psychotherapie-schuster.de/wordpress/?page_id=345 „My wife Felicitas and me are being educated and trained by WindEagle and RainbowHawk since many years. They belong to the few authorized keepers of this tradition in our time. They are head of Ehama Instituite in New Mexico whose work is dedicated to heal the family of mankind.“
http://ganzheitliche-psychotherapie-schuster.de/wordpress/?page_id=35 „From 1996 until today continuous training of Earth Wisdom Teachings with WindEagle and RainbowHawk (Ehama Institute, New Mexico – USA)
The site is kept by one Bernhard Schuster, an alternative practitioner.
Another site from Austria:
http://www.walkyourtalk.at/das-wisdom-council-8-perspektiven-zur-ganzheitlichen-problemloesung/allgemein/ Following a course of study in economics and almost 20 years of working with major companies, I decided to become self-employed in 2001 […]. As a consultant, trainer, and coach, I am now working with individuals, teams, and organisations and their development processes.
My long-term interest in ancient lores of wisdom and spiritual traditions got me into contact with the „Earth Wisdom Teachings“ and the instructions and training at Ehama Institute in New Mexico have influenced and enriched my life in a positive way.[...]
My close partner on this path is the English consulting company „nowhere“ who since many years combines the knowledge and the tools of ancients lores of wisdom with modern approaches and methods and applies them successfully in the work for international companies and organisations.
My focus points are:
8 Question Leadership Circles
Coaching of executives
Teambuilding, team development
7 paths to efficiency (certified Franklin-Covey-Trainer)
Trainings on leadership, communication, creativity, stress management
The site's imprint reads:
DI Dr. Michael Paula
Management Consultancy
xxxxx
2301 Groß Enzersdorf
[...]
http://www.dr-wohlgemuth.at/veranstaltungen_091031_anamcara.htm Management: Dr. med. Natalie Wohlgemuth
(12 years of practical shamanic activities, training with Heather Burns, Ireland, WindEagle and RainbowHawk as well as with Foundation for shamanic studies, member of the Wolf Tribe since 10 years
This site offers a short CV:
http://www.if-wiener-kreis.com/index.php/kongresswien/referenten/ Friederike Onojobi
born xxxx 1982 in Hamburg
2001-2003 vocational training as an advertising merchant with Jung xxx, Hamburg
2003-2005 personal assistant for WindEagle and RainbowHawk Kinney-Linton, Ehama Institute, New Mexico, training as a Council Guide
2006-2009 Public relations, management of workshops and camps with xxx, Groß Enzersdorf [Austria]
since 2008 working for Symbolon GmbH, trained in application of Symbolon method, in charge of customer support, communication and marketing
Motto: „Be the change you want to see in the world.“
The German website
http://www.ehama.de/cgt.html lists contacts in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Great Britain and Denmark. The site has not been updated for years and still advertises seminars for 2004, 2005, and 2006.
At the bottom of this site, the dates for the next Council Guide Training are announced. Apparently, this training is taught in nine steps which are called „ceremonies“. The fee per ceremony is Euro 275 per person, with an additional Euro 55 per day for accom and board.
The trainings took place at seminar centre „Landhaus Beuerhof“ in Üxheim, Germany who are hosting all kinds of ceremony sellers.
This site publishes an article written on one of the seminars the Kinney-Lintons did and offers some insight into what they are teaching:
http://www.thewisdommeme.com/Articles1/earthwisdomandleadership.htm Earth Wisdom and Evocative Leadership
What has Earth Wisdom got to teach business? Sheridan Winn found out at a workshop on 'Evocative Leadership and Balanced Intelligence', run by the EHAMA Institute and The Wisdom Meme Ltd
"The key is not to get the answer, but to question - because the answers are always shifting," said RainbowHawk, a man of 78 years, but with the energy and mental clarity you would envy in a 30-year old. "The question means questing. The mind opens when we question things and closes when we think we have an answer. This is needed at times, when we have to go ahead and do something; but we need to open up again. Questing and seeking are very relevant to enlivening our human adventure."
'Ehama' means 'earth' in Cheyenne . "The teachings of the EHAMA Institute in Los Gatos , California , are about Earth Mother, the source of life force," explained WindEagle, a radiant and strong Medicine Woman in her mid-fifties, and co-founder of the centre.
EHAMA draws on the ancient body of Self-Knowledge and Earth Wisdom evolved from the indigenous cultures of the Americas . It provides a strong, deeply integrated leadership framework, philosophy and practice for individuals and organisations.
Thirty of us sat in Council around the large circle of the Medicine Wheel at Durham University , in a day rich with colour, imagery and symbolism. The proceedings were formal: you listened and only spoke when it was your turn. "I have spoken," indicated to the group that you had said all that you wished to say. "Ho!" was the loud response, in recognition that you had been heard.
We spent the morning learning about Balanced Intelligence. This rests on the premise of Eight Intelligences, which have evolved from an ancient design for wholeness and balance in humankind and communities. These Intelligences are understood to be present in everyone, though some are more developed than others. The older cultures believed individuals have the capability to fully develop and call on all of them, throughout their lives.
"If you don't have all the Intelligences, you don't have a healthy organism - and you won't have a healthy organisation," said WindEagle. One by one the Eight Intelligences were described, each relating to a colour, and an example given of a person who most epitomised it.
We began at the east side of the Medicine Wheel with the colour yellow, signifying Creation Intelligence, the unique and driving force of who we are. Leonardo da Vinci was given as a supreme example of creativity - a man able to make quantum leaps of the imagination.
Next was orange for Perceptual Intelligence, challenging us to use all our senses to find meaning, and to develop connection and understanding with the present moment. "This intelligence gives us the deeper sense of understanding to see what is really happening in an organisation," explained WindEagle.
Red, signifying Emotional Intelligence, lay at the south of the Wheel. Richard Branson was given as an example of a leader who demonstrated an 'adventurer' energy for life, and who was able to remain emotionally stable under duress.
The Intelligence that resonated most with me was Pathfinder Intelligence: the ability to draw on the past and remember your learnings, and to use it to hold a clear picture of your destiny.
"Pathfinder Intelligence has a deep sense of being able to find the way forward towards your goal, mission or purpose," explained WindEagle. "It is being able to focus on where you are going and have an understanding of the path ahead - the navigator."
The Intelligence most people seemed to have difficulty in understanding was Sustaining Intelligence, shown by the colour purple at the west of the Medicine Wheel. This signifies our deep sense of centredness and survival; of keeping the balance of health within us, of keeping the organism or the organisation alive, nourished, whole and able to renew itself.
Was this unease a reflection, perhaps, of the growing dissatisfaction with much organisational structure and thinking? Could it be that businesses are not very good at sustaining themselves?
The eighth energy, at the north-east of the Medicine Wheel was 'Energia', or energy Intelligence. This symbol of vitality brings with it questions: how do I use my energy in my life? Can I shift it? What creates vitality in an organisation?
We divided into eight groups to each discuss one of the Intelligences and its qualities. Gathering again around the Medicine Wheel the groups shared and presented their ideas.
"It's important to understand that our teaching is built on a cohort of tools," explained WindEagle. "Our approach is to seed in to an existing culture ways that will make it work better. We ask, 'What do you really want your organisation to be? What kind of environment do you want to work in?' We prefer to work with, and get a buy-in from, all different levels of an organisation."
For the last eight years RainbowHawk and WindEagle have been working within business organisations worldwide and sharing the teachings of Earth Wisdom. Their clients include Mattell Corporation, Lucent Technologies, Honeywell Computers, US Airforce, The Chartered Institute of Personnel Development, BMW, Volkswagen, Interclass, McCown Deleeuw & Co and the World Business Academy .
WindEagle had over twenty years experience in teaching and counselling, before she met with Rainbow Hawk. After serving in the US Navy in World War II he had run a successful architectural and building company in San Francisco . They both spent many years of study with Native American medicine teachers, before independently becoming Medicine Keeper Chiefs.
In 1987, they joined together to become 'Twin Keepers of the Delicate Lodge' and founded the EHAMA Institute, as a non-profit making organisation. One third of their work is with youth, which they give for free.
There are now around 350 EHAMA trainees and the word is steadily spreading. The Institute has an affiliated centre in Germany and new programmes are starting in Austria , Denmark and the USA . In the UK , EHAMA teaching is spearheaded by Mike and Patricia Bell, co-founders of The Wisdom Meme Ltd, following their five years of study, including two years spent with the institute in California .
Both RainbowHawk and WindEagle are 'metis', or 'mixed blood', and share Celtic and Native American ancestry. RainbowHawk's maternal grandmother was full-blooded Delaware , whilst WindEagle's lineage is Mohegan.
"When we did our training," said RainbowHawk, "the Elders told us, 'You are from both parts of the world. You are from this world, where this tradition comes from, but you are also part of the New World . Because of that you will have your own way of breathing the Teachings into the world. Breathe them into the world and maybe some good will come of it.' We weren't given a vast amount of instructions!".
As the 21st Century dawns, WindEagle and RainbowHawk see humanity at a crossroads. "Now is the time when leadership needs to be calling for a higher level of inspiration, calmness and patience," says RainbowHawk. "What else would we expect from leaders and leadership? To join in leading the throng to paranoia? Or to say, 'Let's slow down. Let's look at this'. But we need ways to look at it."
"This is where we can learn from some of our old human wisdom," says RainbowHawk. "We need to ask how can we look at things in such a way, that we are not jumping to conclusions or just coming from old, established opinions."
During the afternoon we explored the nature of Evocative Leadership.
Here we looked at the 'central command' in each of us, despite our many different personae. Underlying the concept is the awareness of being in an interactive relationship with oneself. It asks us to look deeper and to call something forward in ourselves, to evoke the things that are needed from an organisation: a sense of 'What is needed now for the benefit of the group?'
"We're coming to a time when being 'the people' isn't simply a time of being a follower," said WindEagle. "In a healthy organisation the line managers have genius in seeing things are well done - and they're happy doing it. They rise to their own level, respecting that. The more people become aware of their sense of well-being, the less they're willing to work at jobs that separate the reality of their life from the reality of their work."
"So many times we see an organisation of talented people, but which is all dependent on one leader," said RainbowHawk. "In the Council the people make up the circle. There is an understanding in a tribe that everyone shares and participates. Nobody is depending on somebody for providing. We'd like to see organisations change to where they had the same leader, but everybody was playing a part in a council - activating the wisdom that is inherent in all of them to solve problems, instead of the formal leader solving it."
"The Council studies and evokes in various ways, what is needed and finds the solutions," continued RainbowHawk. "It makes a tremendous shift in how the business is done, and makes for a much more lively and happy atmosphere, because all the people are contributing. Our training is to turn over to people the power to be their own council and draw on their own inherent wisdom, rather than just one person's."
I commented on the wariness, even cynicism, with which organisations often approach much of the recent thinking around leadership.
"We have a term in Medicine called 'dance hammering'," replied RainbowHawk, "If you're given information, don't just take it and swallow it, but dance hammer it. Hammer it into your own knowledge, your own understanding. It's important to be cautious, but it's not a cynical state of mind. It's one that says, 'If I'm going to operate with this I need to own it. And if I own it, it has to be passed through my own processing, so that I'm not speaking from what somebody else has said: I'm speaking from my own wisdom, as a result of my own exploring. In the Old Teachings, to question was the most vital part."
"Ancient common sense," concluded one satisfied participant. "I feel inspired and nourished."
WindEagle and RainbowHawk's book, 'Heart Seeds: A Message from the Ancestors' is now published.
