non-indigenous female

[non-indigenous female]

Hi, I live in Australia. I recently discovered this site. It was an eye-opener. I realised I had been fooled by impersonators who are making money, and gaining prestige, by posing as Native people. I emailed the site, and was able to obtain some information from Al Carroll, one of the moderators here.

I have since encountered more worrying websites, and people purporting to be Native or offering pseudo-Native services of some kind. It seems there are fakes and phoneys at every turn. I had had no idea that the misappropriation of Native identity and culture is happening on such a grand scale.

I hope to post some of my experiences, and I hope to be a positive contributor to the site.

[debbieredbear]

welcome and hello!

[bearfx]

Hello Australia,

Sadly what you have discovered for yourself has been happening for many years worldwide. Cultural appropriation has been an issue of concern by bonafide knowledge keepers and one solution is to educate the public about respecting the protocols that are inherent in Indigenous Culture and Traditions.

The late George Tinker has shared the following observations. George Tinker states, “A curious reversal has seemingly occurred in the attitudes of many white American and Europeans towards Native American peoples.
One of the more significant problems faced by Indian peoples today is not the intentional and overt imposition of European culture in the guise of Christianity. Nor is it the federal legislation and policy that made many tribal ceremonies illegal or the official church and state displeasure that made nearly all ceremonies difficult to sustain. Rather, our modern problem is just the opposite of the problem the tribes confronted a century ago in the presence of the missionary. Nevertheless, in a subtle way the systemic imposition of Euroamerican culture on Indian peoples persist [sic].

Paradoxically, the modern appeal of Indian spirituality to many white people has, I believe, become a major destructive force in our Indian communities. The withering of white Christian spirituality has so disillusioned people that many have engaged in a relatively intense search for something to fill the spiritual void, from Buddhism, Sufi mysticism, or Hindu meditation to Lynn Andrews hucksterism or the so-called “men’s council” movement, with channeling, astrology and witchcraft falling somewhere in between. In this time of spiritual crisis (Indian spirituality) which just a short while ago was the anathema of heathenism, has now become an appealing alternative to many of the seekers.”
Tinker E. George (2004) Spirit and Resistance:
Political Theology and American Indian Liberation
Fortress Press

In an effort to be respective the unknowing and even naive person will unwittingly leave themselves open to predators who go about making false claims about their person and what they profess to be reality.

Respected knowledge keepers will advise those that want to learn to choose their helpers well. Look before you leap!

Safe travels.

Bearfx

[Karonia:a]

It was requested of me years ago to add feedback to similar issues the columnist wrote about...people asked how they can be aware....I gave a short paragraph informing people that it was their right to ask questions if something did not feel right to them....those who walk their walk and talk their talk will have no hesitation to answer any questions about anything, they work with values,   those who get defensive or angry are the red flags,  and if you get many red flags or the uneasy feeling inside, you have the choice to walk away...this simple statement had many responses, even in the column write ups,  the defensiveness jumped out as they said to me, ( and this is a common fight or flight response)  "Who do you think you are?  And how dare you!   LOLOLOLOLOL.....I chuckle because unbeknownst to them,  they had just confirmed what I had shared.....

[non-indigenous female]

Thank you for the welcome.
I often read a free, Australian, new age/environmental issues newspaper called Living Now. It has been publishing monthly since about 1989 and is widely available for pick-up outside shops, here in Melbourne. The latest edition has an article about Uqualla:

How do you enter a sacred site with honour and respect? 
http://www.livingnow.com.au/advertise/articles/23-living-with-spirit/4824-how-do-you-enter-a-sacred-site-with-honour-and-respect.html

Plus an advertisement for a tour:

Journeys to sacred sites with Uqualla and Eva
Contact Eva  ew@beyond2012.net.au

A google search reveals that Uqualla has been mentioned here on this site.

Would it be worth starting a separate thread about Uqualla, so that Australian readers can hopefully find that thread if they google his name?

The editor of Living Now, Elizabeth Jewell Stephens, seems an open-minded and caring person (I don't know her, though). Would it be worth it for someone (or a few people) from this site to write an article for Living Now, explaining the Native people's point of view about the constant theft of identity and culture? Living Now purports to have a readership of about 300,000 people.

Many of us here in Australia can (usually) spot a fraud if the fraud is Aboriginal, as the Aboriginal people, to my knowledge, do not conduct courses or tours that relate to their spirituality. But we can forget that the same thing may apply in the case of other indigenous cultures. A Native American person is (often) seen as being more distant, the unknown, someone from far away and about whom we know very little.

Would it be worth it to perhaps attempt to publish some words written directly by Native people, so that interested readers can at least hear an alternative point of view? I think it is rare, here in Australia, to read an article written by a Native American person who can substantiate his/her claims and/or give clear sources for opinions expressed.

I think the above responses by bearfx and Karonia:a are clear and very well written. As a non-indigenous person, I would find it difficult to refute what is written in those responses. I am wondering if those types of ideas could be expressed, in print, here in Australia, written by Native people, so that more of us out here can get the message.

As far as I know, in order to write something for Living Now, prospective contributors send an email to the Editor in which they outline what they want to say.