Fiona Newman et al

[Skamola]

Hello Fellow Members, would like to direct you all to this   http://www.fionanewmanandassociates.com/native-american-shamanism.php   site. To many red flags. Three of the two telephone numbers listed on her website are out of service the last number I dialed i got her voice mail and she does identify herself  as Fiona Newman from the Healing House Peterborough, Ontario. I have left a number of messages  enquiring about her numerous programs  but to no avail.
I am confused why there are so many web listings for the same name.
The Smudging Ceremony
 looks like a cut-copy-paste ~Adrienne Borden is of Chippewa heritage, and Steve Coyote is of Cheyenne background. Looking forward to any feedback.


 

[earthw7]

we dont have swat team 
just individuals that help research people
i looked at her site and smiled a lil bit
because of the definition of sage cedar and sweet grass
must of took this from another new age site

[Defend the Sacred]

She's also into the Celtique Shamynne scam. News Flash: Celtic peoples did not and do not have "shamans." Like all other spiritual ways we have names for our ceremonial people in the different Celtic languages. We did not and do not have "reiki" and we don't need to steal from NDNs to have a lifeway. Frauds like this damage all of our ways and reputations.

[Superdog]

The site seems to be about Fiona Newman who seems to have every title under the sun.  Numerous, more than likely, self appointed titles from just about everything from fairies to psychics.  The claim of "Celtic and Native American Shamanism Practitioner/Teacher" is definitely dubious.  Her write up even includes a story where she claims she was named White Buffalo Woman (yes...another one).

BUT....she also doesn't claim to be Native American (although you have to read the write up about her channelling of Archie Belaney aka Grey Owl to get that).

Basically she claims Archie as a spirit guide who was *gasp* Irish, just as she is.  She didn't realize she was channeling Archie until she watched the movie Grey Owl where Archie was played by Pierce Brosnan....also Irish.  She interprets this as learning the story of Grey Owl through an Irishman so it was Archie guiding her....

So, basically, she doesn't claim any kind of heritage and likens her interest in the topic as an Irish ambiguous "shaman" walking her path in Canada...

Unfortunately, it doesn't stop her from committing the New Agers most common mistake.  Grouping all Native cultures and practices into one large melting pot of Native American shamanism and she is very misleading.  I agree with Earthw...the write up on smudging (definitely copy and pasted) is humorous.  Along the lines of Maggie Wahls who also promoted an article from someone else describing uses in the exact same way this one does.  They also made the erroneous claim that sweetgrass is endangered and only small guarded patches remain in the plains....cracks me up everytime I see that one...sweetgrass grows all over the world and heartily so....it's grass.

While she is very misleading and should not be promoting any practice of hers as Native American anything....hard to paint her as fraudulent.  More like misinformed....

Superdog

[educatedindian]

Yeah, outside of her claiming to channel Belaney, a famous pretender, it's hard to see how she's even doing anything claiming to be remotely Native. She says she is, but that's it. There's probably much more wrong with her pseudo-Celtic teachings and claims.

There are eight other people promoted on the site, ranging from deluded to wishful thinking at best, all althealers. Oneof them, Stephanie Pearson, is actually doing something useful, teaching sign language. There's also one teaching the only fraudulent pseudo-NDN ideas on the site,  Sandra Obrien teaching the power animals silliness.

I have no illusions about us being a swat team. If I were in some kind of position of authority, and if the law treated exploiters like they treat other con men, there's dozens of these we've listed over the years who belong in prison. But Newman's not one of them.

[Defend the Sacred]

She's a plastic shaman selling shameon services: http://www.fionanewmanandassociates.com/about-fiona-newman.php

"Fiona continues her personal quest for new and exciting knowledge from various teachings and cultures. She offers many different approaches to Personal Healing, Growth and Development."

I think that's pretty much the definition of Culture Vulture. Stealing whatever Indigenous Knowledge she can find, and then selling it. 

https://www.facebook.com/fiona.newman

"Fiona offers many different approaches to Personal Healing, Growth and Development. Fiona is a Reiki Master Teacher and is trained and experienced in Therapeutic Touch , Quantum , Indian Head Massage, Tong Ren, Reflexology, Craniosacral and Myofascial Release Techniques, Celtic and Native American Shamanism, Working with Nature Spirits, Meditation , Brain Gym® (specialized Educational Kinesiology.), Stress Management, Behaviour Management, Crisis Intervention, Individual and Group Counseling, Sexual Healing and Counseling, Psychic and Clairvoyant Development, Akashic Records, Therapeutic Teas and Therapeutic Nutrition.

"Fiona currently offers Readings, Treatments, Workshops, Public Speaking Engagements and more Fiona's Readings focus on what is most important for you to know at this time in your life. Fiona specializes in Past Life readings, Tea leaf readings, Angel and Fairy readings. She also provides object and photograph readings. You can experience your reading in person, over the phone and the internet. Fiona also facilitates courses and workshops in Psychic and Clairvoyant Development. The workshops and classes Fiona offers will assist you in becoming who you desire to be, or to improve on the you, you are today."

And while she says she's non-Native on her website, in her FB posts she has no problem with appropriating language, where she signs her posts "Chi Meegwetch"  : https://www.facebook.com/fiona.newman/posts/10152418761305089

I don't think saying she's non-Native mitigates the fact she's stealing from Natives, misrepresenting Native cultures and selling fake ceremonies. She is also bringing some of this newage crap and misinformation about NDNs into Idle No More pages and roundies.

[critter - a white non-ndn person]

Well, if she's hard to paint as fraudulent, then she is legitimate? What constitutes a fraud? Is a person making false claims about native, celtic or any other people and their practices or ceremonies, and then selling these false ceremonies being fraudulent? Sometimes I just get a little confused here, she is doing the same as so many others I've read here who are called frauds. She may not seem dangerous as some of these predators are to the well being of others, like those who molest women, but if what she is selling is false, even if she believes it to be true, then there is the potential of harming others, and harming those people who's ceremonies she is fabricating.  Maybe someone can enlighten me to what exactly the differences are? Thank you.

[Superdog]

My apologies.  I suppose I should clarify myself, I really wasn't very clear.  I'm not against putting her in frauds either.  My thinking was along the lines of her posing as Native American.  She's at least honest about that so I would have been ok leaving her in Research Needed just to keep an eye on her.....but, for all the other reasons Kathryn listed, this is a proper move.  I don't disagree with it at all and I can admit I have rethought my position on this.  Consider my earlier thoughts a bit preliminary.

Superdog

[earthw7]

She is confused and misleading about the information she put out there,
Selling ceremonies she is not doing
But she is giving out information that is incorrect
so what can we say she is lying to the people which would make her a fraud
who is not selling Native ceremonies but is selling new age beliefs

[Defend the Sacred]

Here is her fees page.

http://www.fionanewmanandassociates.com/payment-and-registration.php

She keeps the list of the fake Native stuff she does on one page and the fees on another: http://www.fionanewmanandassociates.com/native-american-shamanism.php

"Sweat Lodge Teachings and Ceremonies, Seven Teachings for the Soul, The Four Directions,
Animal Totems & Spirit Guides, Prayer Sticks, Medicine Sticks, Shaman Bags and Tools,  The Smudging Ceremony"

She keeps the descriptions on the fees page vague in some cases like: "3 hour workshop" and "full day workshop." This is exactly what we've seen from others who know that they'll get called out sooner if they put their claims of Native ceremonies and the fee on the same page.

She's trying to disguise Harner shameonism and pretendian stuff as "Celtic" because fewer people know how to spot the fake Celtic stuff.  She's not selling anything authentically Celtic, either, but she is selling misinformation about multiple cultures. When people buy into that it leads to cultural genocide.

She's also claiming to teach "Universal Shamanism." The crowd that do this lump their misunderstandings of many cultures together, and spread the lie that all cultures have the same ways, so anyone can lead (and sell) the ceremonies of any culture.