Spirit of the apache conquers the West
By GILL VOWLES
23oct05
http://www.themercury.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,17002472%255E3462,00.htmlSTANDING Bear's proudest moment was causing a riot at a Christian private school.
The Blue Mountains-based tribal healer was meant to be doing a native dancing workshop with 80 children at the local school, but when the other students saw him walking around in full American Indian regalia they walked out of their classrooms and joined the session.
"Instead of spending a couple of hours with 80 kids, I ended up spending the whole day with 380 kids -- the school's entire population," Standing Bear said.
"The principal realised the kids weren't going to concentrate on anything else while I was there so he just let them go."
On another school visit, this time on the New South Wales' central coast, Standing Bear ended up in the playground surrounded by 150 students doing war dances.
"In the middle of it all I could hear the teacher on playground duty calling for back-up on her walkie talkie."
This week Standing Bear was stopping traffic and turning heads in Burnie where he was conducting private consultations and drumming workshops.
"I visit Tasmania at least twice a year to work with individuals and groups at their request," he said.
"On each visit I probably have contact with about 80 people."
The full-time healer says he specialises in helping people to find themselves.
"Generally the people who come to me are looking for direction and I help them to remember what their dream is and to stop sabotaging themselves from achieving it.
"Everything we need to know is inside already, I just help people to get in touch with that."
Standing Bear admits his role is akin to that of a counsellor, but instead of getting his clients to lie on a couch he uses eagle-feather prayer fans, dead wolf feet and a horse tail to get his clients to open up.
"I'm not a big fan of traditional psychology," he says.
"I think psychology is an excellent tool for diagnosis but is useless for healing because all it does is focus on the symptoms."
In addition to his one-on-one consultations Standing Bear also works with groups to develop a spirit of community.
"On a previous trip to Tasmania I held a workshop at Huonville where I had loggers on one side of the room and anti-logging protesters on the other, but I got them communicating with each other."
Standing Bear was drawn to healing in 1999 after returning to his American birthplace.
The son of a Scottish mother and an Apache father, Standing Bear was taken from his mother at birth and sent to Australia where he was adopted by a Blue Mountains couple.
"I always felt different and during my teens I rebelled badly and become involved in drugs, alcohol, gangs and violence.
"I knew I was going to end up dead or in jail for the rest of my life if things didn't change."
After his third serious motorcycle accident Standing Bear went back to America for six months and discovered his tribal roots.
He also discovered a gift for helping people to heal themselves.
Back in Australia he gave up his Western name, Eric Spiney, and adopted part of his tribal name, Bear Who Stands With Thunder.
He now spends his life healing and conducting workshops around Australia.
Standing Bear leaves Tasmania this week, but is returning next month to work in East Coast schools and in February next year to participate in an Honouring the Elders gathering on Bruny Island.
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