Hi all ...
I know this is a little late in posting here about the Council of 13 Grannies, but with this group there is always an update. What I am writing is the truth, as I have no reason to fabricate any information, and should have posted this when I contacted the Yavapai Rez in Arizona in February 2014. I used to live south of Sedona, AZ during my teens and know about the new age quacks, crystal crunchers, woo-woo's, and frauds. My mother befriended a few people on Yavapai, and I got to know the area relatively well.
When I was still on FaceCrook/FedBook/Facebook, I got tagged in a post on February 19th, 2014 concerning a gathering at Montezuma's Well in Arizona calling it "In The Name Of The Mother" found here:
http://inthenameofthemother.net/. As you will see, the website only has a picture of the Earth. At the time, my friend whom is Yaqui, wrote the following:
"********* tagged you in a post.
********* wrote: "$600... Really?? Once again, access to elders is lost because they're too busy making bank off giving those new-agers what they want. Am I wrong on this? I don't want to be disrespectful to the grandmothers, but with a price-tag just shy of my rent, it obviously isn't meant for me or most the natives I know. Just seems like more pimping-out to me. What are your thoughts?"
Well, I told my friend that I would get back to her on this after doing some research and making phone calls. When I checked out the website (no longer has content besides the earth picture) at the time it told of the feel-goodie-stuff, the price for camping and attendance at Montezuma's Well, dossier's of the women, etc.
Upon reading one page, again which does not seem to exist (I tried to search for the text), they said they were working with the park service and the "local tribes". The only local tribe I knew of was Yavapai, so I gave the tribal office a call ...
I told the receptionist woman about the event and asked if she ever heard of it. She told me "No" and asked me for the website information and the page where it said of working with local tribes. She put me hold a number of times as other tribal government people kept coming through the door, so that she could ask them if they knew of this. She asked 4 government people if they knew anything, all of which said "No." One of the people she asked is one of the main cultural advisers for the tribe.
Near the end of the conversation, she asked me if they was charging any money. I told her "Yup ... they charging 600 bucks." She said real loud through the phone "WHAAAAT?!!" I told her that I was assuming that this money is going to be used for traveling and camping fees, but someone is making a few bucks though. She said she was gonna look into this further, and if she finds out anything more she will call me up.
There are around 750 Yavapai's living in the tribal communities, so with that, word should get around about each other.
Because of the activist and Hip Hop circles I used to frequent are into some new age stuff (I get into trouble a lot voicing thing in contradiction to what they believe in that does more harm than good), so I got wind of this through some other people ... because I had already made the phone call to Yavapai, I had an opinion on the matter which most of the people I know (even people of color) which they got a sour look on their face.
Anyhow, I thought this might be worth while to voice on and also a method of operation of searching for information in general.
Here are a couple links. First one gives a general description
http://www.grandmotherscouncil.org/in-the-name-of-the-mother-the-first-ever-womens-gathering-with-the-thirteen-indigenous-grandmothers The other from "xicanation.com" tells of what was NEVER listed on the main website;
http://xicanation.com/in-the-name-of-the-mother-1st-womens-gathering-with-the-13-indigenous-grandmothers/ "Our gathering will begin on the Spring Equinox, and the opening ceremony will be led by the local Yavapai women, as they welcome us to the land in their traditional way. The International Council of the Thirteen Grandmothers will follow initiating our sacred time together with a ceremony to celebrate a turning toward a new way of being and doing: a way that recognizes, honors, and builds upon the ways of our Ancestors."Who were the Yavapai women doing a welcoming ceremony?
Lastly, even if the "grandmothers" are legitimate or not, is besides the point. There are a lot of legitimate ceremonial leaders, etc., that are happy with the attention from people outside of their tribes. They get to travel, get their ego's fueled, maybe make some cash, and get to do it again and again.
The fact that there is not any evidence of actual inter-tribal and inter-faith unification for real social and environmental change/ justice, tells us that this is being marketed and catered to particular demographics to make money.
I don't really care much, it's just that I want people to be honest. If people are about prestige, money, and status, then go for it and help the future generations by teaching bad behaviors that only fuels the same consciousness that is destroying ecosystems, people, plants, animals ... then go for it! Nothing new!
But if you really about social and environmental change/justice, then there are ways that are far more effective than this kind of thing.
