I have been thinking about posting something about this man for a while.
He is revered in the kinky / S&M / BDSM / Queer scenes and also in the body modification scene where he is considered to be the father of the "modern primitives" movement.
He claims to be a shaman of sorts, although, from what I have been able to discover, he does no claim any lineage or tribal affiliations other than claiming that he was born on an "Indian Reservation" in Aberdeen, South Dakota.
His main ethos, as reflected in his use of the (odious IMO) term "modern primitives" is to put a modern spin on ancient traditions and to explore various ways in which people can do extreme things to their bodies in order to gain some spirchul and / or sexual high.
He runs various workshops in cutting, branding, piercing and other related issues, only with a spirchul element.
FWIW I do not think it is my business if consenting adults wish to engage in whatever kinky / alternative activities they like. It really is nobody else's business what other people do sexually providing it involves only consenting adults, however Fakir Musafar's workshops are something else entirely as they are twisted and sexualised interpretations of various sacred ceremonies including the sun dance.
I also think that the term "Modern Primitives" sucks. Who are these "primitive" people who he thinks he celebrates with his activities? The terms suggests a lack of sophistication among the very tribal peoples whose sacred traditions he appropriates.
I first became aware of Fakir Musafar in the early 1990s when he was considered cutting edge by tattooists. I used to know a professional tattooist quite well and he was in awe of this guy.
I recently spoke to some young Polish "straight edge" youth who live near me and they hero worship this guy and that they sometimes pierce their chests / backs and suspend themselves from trees in Hampstead Heath. Apparently they do this to get a natural high as well as because they enjoy pain. They proudly showed me the scars to prove it. They also felt that it was somehow spirchul and deep, although they could not explain how or why.
The point I'm making is that Fakir Musafar has been an influential person in the arts, in tattoo / body mod circles / neo-pagan and alternative lifestyle movements for some years.
Anyway, some links to his various websites (not for the faint hearted)
I should warn people here that some of the photos in the links include newage versions of the sun dance, performed by naked and semi-naked newagers that many people will find offensive.
text from his "about me" (page has some offensive photos).
A Shaman, Artist, Master Piercer and Body Modifier, Fakir has played a significant part in the revival of body piercing, body sculpting, branding and other body-related practices for personal expression, spiritual exploration, rites-of-passage, healing and reclaiming. He is a co-developer of the modern body piercing techniques in general use today. He is also Director of FAKIR BODY PIERCING & BRANDING INTENSIVES, the only courses of instruction of their kind in the world, and only such school registered by the State of California as a Career Training institution.
Born in 1930 on what was then an Indian Reservation, Fakir is a depression baby from Aberdeen, South Dakota. He studied electrical engineering and has a B.S.E. degree from Northern State University (South Dakota) plus an M.A. degree in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University. For many years he held executive positions in San Francisco advertising agencies and operated his own ad agency in Silicon Valley. Fakir has had, over the years, a very checkered career path that included such odd occupations as Instructor in Demolitions & Explosives (U.S. Army 1952-54) and teacher of ballroom dancing at Arthur Murray's. All the while, he was privately practicing what his inner spirit revealed to him as a valid but non-sanctioned way (in this culture) to reach spirit through the body. In 1977, he made his first public coming out at the first International Tattoo Convention in Reno Nevada.
Since then he has seen as his "life work" writing, speaking and teaching others what he has experienced and learned doing "body play". In the early 1990's Fakir appeared on many mass media shows like NBC's Faith Daniels Show, CBS's People Are Talking, CNN's Earth Matters and Discovery Channel (Beyond Bizarre). In 1998 Fakir made in-depth documentary segments for London Weekend Television's Southbank Show and Playboy Television's "Sexcetera" (Body Mod Squad). In 1999 he was subject of a documentary film (Fakir Musafar:Profile) made by CANAL + of France for their short film series "La Nuit du Cyclone". In 2000, 2001 and 2003 he has appeared in documentaries for The Learning Channel (Human Canvas Part I and Part II), TBS, FX Channel and Discovery Channel plus a major appearance in the 2001 documentary film "Modern Tribalism".
Fakir is a popular speaker at universities and colleges, new age and other special interest groups. He has contributed original material and photos to contemporary publications like THEATER JOURNAL (performance art), John Willie's BIZARRE magazine (fetish and SM exploration) SKIN TWO and PFIQ (Piercing Fan International Quarterly). He has lectured and performed at international art festivals like ICA in London (Institute of Contemporary Art, Rapture Series, 1995) and the International Seminar on BODY:RITUAL-MANIPULATION in Copenhagen (1995). In 1997 he lectured and performed body rituals at the FESTIVAL ATLANTICO in Lisbon, Portugal. In February 1999 he was invited to address the annual conference of the AMERICAN COLLEGE OF PSYCHIATRISTS on body modification and shamanism (My Reality, Your Reality, Reality of Those you Treat). His performance group appeared at the 1999 Los Angeles FETISH BALL in "Metamorphosis"-- and at the Annie Sprinkle Benefit Show at the Cowell Theater in San Francisco.
source:
http://www.fakir.org/aboutfakir/index.htmlalso re his workshops, these seem to be an appropriated and twisted take on the sun dance :
emphasis in the text mine)
Next Spirit + Flesh Workshop & Ritual
Saturday December 3, 2011 in San Francisco
Ever wonder how far a body ritual can take you? Join your friends and other seekers for a day or more of intense exploration at our next SPIRIT+FLESH Workshop & Ritual. Fakir and Cléo will take you on a memorable journey that includes background information, preparatory exercises, psychic cleansing, shamanic piercing and a prolonged "energy pull" ritual/dance at the conclusion of the workshop.
Since the dawn of humankind, intense physical sensation has been incorporated in rites whose purpose is an "Ecstatic State". In Ecstatic States boundaries are expanded, consciousness is shifted, visions are encountered, healing and personal transformations can occur. Participants, and even spectators or witnesses, often experience euphoria and a feeling of well-being and transcendence.
In SPIRIT+FLESH workshops, Fakir and Cléo begin by taking you on an exotic journey through the ecstatic body rites of other cultures. They then show how those rites been adapted to the needs and tastes of contemporary Western Culture -- especially within the BDSM and body modification communities. SPIRIT+FLESH workshops & rituals are based on Fakir's personal experimentation, his research on the universal "whys", "hows" and "wherefores" of body rites and his hand-on experience with group rituals he has facilitated in
source: (warning some offensive photos)
http://www.fakir.org/spiritflesh/index.htmlThe thing is he doesn't make a big deal about being a "shaman". He doesn't claim to be native or to be able to cure cancer. Mostly what he does seems to be training people in complex aspects of erotic torture and body modification, however his appropriation of the sun dance and his promotion of it as some kind of "ecstatic" / kinky ritual is, I feel, deeply offensive.
It seems to me that Fakir Musafar is responsible for at least some of the condescending and frankly just stupid attitudes of various thrill seekers who want to be suspended by hooks because they believe it is cool, or spirchul or even sexually exciting. I doubt that Fakir Musafar or any of his followers and fans ever spent a moment even thinking about issues such as cultural appropriation.
Incidentally the tattooist I used to know who was in awe of Fakir Musafar is someone who I have written about here before. He went on a shamanism retreat in the 80s and ended up tripping on some hallucinogen in a field while the shaman seduced his (also tripping) girlfriend. He was (and probably still is) someone who identifies as a "modern primitive".
