Steve McCullough aka Iktomi Sha & Salt Creek Sundance

[Creative Native]

PODIAs??? I don't know what that is.

Have you been involved with Steve and Evan's personally? Have you talke to each and every "white" person that claims Cherokee or are you just throwing about broad blanket statements as fact?

As for myself I haven't heard Steve say he is any tribal member. That's all I know.

It isn't Steve AND Evan's "community". Actually they are in different parts of the state and do their own thing so I don't know where you are coming from.

[Cetan]

I did ask around among people back home and no one heard of anyone making Evan White Face a chief, so again who did this - if someone is doing something on behalf of the oyate it should be made public and this hasnt, at least not in SD

[Superdog]

Just thought I'd throw another wrench in the works for people to discuss.  While I know the facts of an article can truly only be attributed to the author of the article, this is a short biographical piece about McCullough and worthy of discussion.  The article paints a good picture of him and  talks about the work he does with this particular Sundance and in other areas and highlights the things his supporters here in this discussion like about him.  It also includes the things that people on this board don't like about him.

http://www.roundaboutmadison.com/Inside%20Pages/Archived%20Articles/2007/06_07SteveMcCullough.htm

[ska]

I bet it is ol Crow Dog who has made instance medicine men all over the place

McCullough seems to know people from Rosebud and Pine Ridge.  White Face is a family name from Pine Ridge, so it's not necessarily Crow Dog.  On Pine Ridge, Swallow and Chipps are known for working with non-Natives, selling ceremonies, and making chiefs.

[educatedindian]

That article raises a lot of questions. For me the most damning words come from McCullough's lies straight from his own mouth, or from the lies he told the reporter, which I've highlighted.

--------------------
Medicine man
 
 Bicknell’s McCullough followed childhood passion for his people

By Konnie McCollum Staff Writer

(June 2007) – Growing up on the Lakota Sioux Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, Steve McCullough, had a vision when he was 16 years old. It would be years later when he learned what that vision meant.

Steve McCullough travels the world performing  Native American
ceremonies that promote peace and healing.
 
Today, McCullough, 54, is a Chief of the Sundance, or religious ceremony, for Native Americans. The Bicknell, Ind., native is also an intercessor and medicine man who travels the world performing Native American spiritual ceremonies for people of diverse faiths.....

Mona Wray of Bedford, Ind., is not of Native American descent, but she partakes in many of their spiritual ceremonies. She has taken part in the Sundance ceremony for years.

....McCullough’s unusual career actually began about a year after he had that vision. At 17, he went to the elders of the tribe and shared his vision. They worked with him and helped direct his path.

“I became a medicine man, but it wasn’t something I studied for; it was something that just happened to me,??? he said.

At that time, McCullough also became involved in the political movement American Indian Movement (AIM), which became instrumental in shaping the path of Native Americans across the country.

....Years later, on Feb. 27, 1973, AIM came head to head with the federal government in a clash that became known as the historical Siege at Wounded Knee, S.D. McCullough was one of the Indians involved in the 71-day gun battle in the Pine Ridge Reservation.

......By 1992, McCullough began conducting Sundance ceremonies himself.

.....“We have even conducted pipe ceremonies for Muslims, although in Islamic-ruled Middle Eastern countries everything is actually forbidden and you have to really watch your step,??? he said....

He has been to places such as Brazil, the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Asia, Istanbul, Jordan, Egypt, Israel, China, Russia and Africa.
 

[Superdog]

Here's another where the article states that McCullough is not Lakota by birth, but has Shawnee heritage.

again....the facts of an article can only truly be attributed to the author, but the lack of continuity in information that crops up again and again and again about McCullough is also worthy of discussion..

(this is a cached version of the article from canku-luta.net)

http://74.125.45.104/search?q=cache:DhFJRjwfT9wJ:www.canku-luta.net/control.php%3F%26topgroupname%3Dartikelen%26groupname%3Dartikelen%26subgroupname%3D%26contentname%3DInterviewSteve+Steve+McCullough-sundance&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2&gl=us

[Cetan]

Contradictions that McCullough has not seemed to have done anything to correct - one article says he grew up on Pine Ridge, the other says White River and as far as I know White River is still part of Rosebud. From what I remember hearing back in the day is it is true he grew up in White River but the reason is that his father was  Christian preacher there.  Never heard before that he was at WKII.  So he started conducting Sundance ceremonies by himself in 1992??? Then why, after Elmer pulled out of involvement in Salt Creek did he go around trying to find someone to go there to run the Sundance. 
The White Face family is from Pine Ridge, medicine root district, and that is where Evans is from which maked me wonder about someone from Rosebud making him a chief. Asking who did it is not "throwing names around". Dont know if it was Leonard since he usually gives bonnets to those moneymen for him and I dont think he is involved in that dance, too busy raking in the $ from the Southern Illinois Sundance.

[AskMeFirst]

That whole newspaper article should be posted in its entirety, not just excerpts pointed out to make him look bad.

Steve McCullough is a personal friend of mine. He has never said he grew up on Pine Ridge, he told me he grew up on White River.
His mother married Gilbert Rattling Leaf when Steve was 13 and they took in over 100 foster children who otherwise would have been out
on the street. He has told me many, many things about his life, and never once has he ever claimed to be Lakota. He says he grew up on the rez, which he did. He shares his life stories easily and they never change from one time to the next, no matter who he is speaking to. Those articles posted are obviously misquotes.

I know Mona Wray. She does not sundance or sweat. She is a "hanger on" who just wants to be somebody, but McCullough won't let her do too much because of her attitude. She doesn't even come to the arbor to support at sundance. She stays in her camp and gossips. My guess is that she happened to be at the location of the interview and made herself available to the reporter and told stuff just to get her name in the paper. There are many, many reasons this stuff ends up in print, but unless you go to the man yourself and ask, you will spend all your time on this board speculating.

Furthermore, he is not a con man, as someone here accused him of being. I sing in ceremony for him. He has never, ever charged money for any ceremony I've been to. There are times that I'm asked to go to sing at ceremony and do not even receive gas money for going. That is on the people asking, not on McCullough. (He ends up offering ME gas money for coming) He does not work. He lives his life for the people, ALL PEOPLE, and he does not have much. He doesn't drive a fancy car, or wear expensive clothes, or have a pot to piss in, if truth be told. People seek him out, not vise-versa.

And all this about Wounded Knee II and Uniontown, KY. can easily be verified. Ask Dennis Banks or Chico Dulak or any of the other people who were in Uniontown in 1989. They will tell you that Steve was there and that he did help get laws passed protecting the ancestors. He is pictured along with many others in National Geographic magazine and that is easily looked up, if you feel so inclined. At Wounded Knee II he spent 3 days in jail for trying to stand up for the people.

I am not some blind follower. I live my life this way everyday and will stand up for someone who has proven themselves time and again. I also know that if you go around bad mouthing medicine men, regardless of whom you believe them to be, or whether or not you agree with what they do, it is not healthy for you. Are you willing to take the chance that McCullough is not the real deal? I've been to at least 100 ceremonies where he has come alone and no one there has "made spirit rattles in the woods" or done any sort of "set-up" or "rigging" that would make the things happen that happen there. I have watched him set up his alter, and he does not even have the things laid out that I see manifesting in his ceremonies. The spirits don't seem to mind that he has no Lakota blood. How do you know that way back down the line in his tree, he doesn't? Has anyone here done his family tree?
 
I would never, ever bad-mouth a medicine man and I do not know of any TRUE, traditional person who would. I was raised knowing better. To hear some of you tossing the names of these medicine men around and saying these bad things is just despicable and leads me to believe that
"your elders didn't raise you right." 

I just got a call from Steve. Seems he and Evans Whiteface were both presented to the people at Rosebud during the Sundance out there just last week. Steve DID receive that medallion and it happened in front of everyone there. Steve said afterward that he shook hundreds of hands, hands of traditional elders who welcomed him into that oyate. Ask around people and verify this for yourselves. 

In closing, I say enough with the newspaper articles, he-said-she-said crap and speculations. I know Steve so Ask Me First. If I don't have an answer for you, I'll call him up and ask him or better yet, any of you can call him up. His phone number is all over the internet, as is his address. If people here are so concerned, call him up and ask him or go see him. His door is always open to everybody and he always returns phone calls.

[ska]

Dear AskmeFirst,

It is not correct to refer to "THE Sun Dance" on the Rosebud, as there are many - and increasingly, more and more Sun Dances are including non-Native dancers, which is causing a great deal of sadness and disgust amongst full-blood and traditional families.  It is also a bit vague to refer to growing up "ON the White River", as White River is the name of a town on the Rosebud - the river that runs through the rez is actually the Little White River (at least that is the colonial designation).

Earth may be right about where Steve is getting his recognition from - last weekend, Crow Dog's Sun Dance took place on the Rosebud.

best, ska

[AskMeFirst]

Dear AskmeFirst,

It is not correct to refer to "THE Sun Dance" on the Rosebud, as there are many - and increasingly, more and more Sun Dances are including non-Native dancers, which is causing a great deal of sadness and disgust amongst full-blood and traditional families.  It is also a bit vague to refer to growing up "ON the White River", as White River is the name of a town on the Rosebud - the river that runs through the rez is actually the Little White River (at least that is the colonial designation).

Earth may be right about where Steve is getting his recognition from - last weekend, Crow Dog's Sun Dance took place on the Rosebud.

best, ska

And who here cares about "correctness" or being "vague" or not? This is an internet message board LOL
People here speculate, quote "vague" newspaper articles, repeat gossip, rumor and bad-mouth medicine men! All you need to do is ask Steve. Call him. Stop all this internet crap and go to the man in question, that's all I'm saying.

Traditional people do not bad-mouth medicine men or put stock in an internet message board. I would hope that this board is in place for the gullible people out there- the interent ndns who seek to learn such things and can only do so via the internet. My hope is that my postings can at least give another side to the bashing that goes on here against someone I know personally. I just want to put to rest the misconceptions about Steve being a con-man and all the other things he is being accused of. Its not fair, not right and not true. The bottom line is that it can easily be remedied by just talking to him.

[ska]

AskMeFirst said:

"And who here cares about "correctness" or being "vague" or not? This is an internet message board LOL
People here speculate, quote "vague" newspaper articles, repeat gossip, rumor and bad-mouth medicine men! All you need to do is ask Steve. Call him. Stop all this internet crap and go to the man in question, that's all I'm saying.

Traditional people do not bad-mouth medicine men or put stock in an internet message board. I would hope that this board is in place for the gullible people out there- the interent ndns who seek to learn such things and can only do so via the internet. My hope is that my postings can at least give another side to the bashing that goes on here against someone I know personally. I just want to put to rest the misconceptions about Steve being a con-man and all the other things he is being accused of. Its not fair, not right and not true. The bottom line is that it can easily be remedied by just talking to him."

Thank you for your response, AskMeFirst.

Thank you for confirming that you care little about the accuracy of your statements.  Despite this, you want us to accept your assertion that Mr. McCullough is the real deal.  Your response made me realize that I myself was raising a concern in a rather vague way.  What I meant to say was: it is clear from the way you are expressing yourself that you know very  little about the Rosebud reservation, yet you are trying to make references to the reservation, and to traditional people who live there, as if you have a clear understanding of what is going on.  You clearly don't.

Although, like you, I choose to remain anonymous on this board, I still feel compelled to communicate with others in a respectful and truthful way.  I do not try to sound like I know much about something I know very little about.  And so, I try to refrain myself from saying too much, lest I lead astray those who may know even less than I do.   It is also true that, like many of us Settlers on this continent, I tend to think I know a lot more about Indian matters than I really do.  All the more reason to do what many Elders advise: practice silence.  There seems to be at least a few Lakotas on this board.  If we take the time to listen to what they are saying, we can learn something of benefit to ourselves and others.  We need not agree, but we should at least be wary of mixing things up further by speaking when we have little of substance to offer. 

I say this in a good way because, like you, I am concerned about the "gullible" - and I fear you may be one of these yourself.  I say these things not to disrespect your friend but because I know Elders, friends and relatives on Rosebud who have expressed concerns about him.

Thank you for your encouragement in inviting folks to seek out Mr. McCollough.  Since you are a close friend, perhaps you could assist in this matter.  Perhaps you could let your friend know that this discussion is going on about him and that he would be more than welcome to come on board and express whatever it is that he might want to express.  Clearly, he is not averse to using the internet, or to promoting his right to perform Lakota ceremony.  It would be wonderful if he could set everyone's heart at ease with his powerful, shamanic words of wisdom.  Perhaps there is something that the Lakota people on this board are missing and he actually HAS a good reason for standing in the center of a Lakota altar, for claiming to be a chief, and for selling Lakota ceremony. 

Respectfully, ska

[Moma_porcupine]

I'm not Lakota and have no personal stake in this except I wanted to point out that people who are personally involved in this situation seem to be loosing sight of the bigger picture. 

Reading through this I have to wonder ....

What makes it OK for Steve to ignore the wishes of the many Lakota people who don't want non native people leading ceremonies ?

If a few Elders gave their consent why should their feelings on this outwiegh all the other Lakota people and Elders who are saying NO ?

If your friend invited you on a family vaction and 2 family members agreed it was OK and 8 more said it really wasn't OK , would you think it was OK to ignore the 8 and just pay attention to the 2 who said you could come? What kind of a person would do that? If you wouldn't do that to a friends family why is it OK to do it to the Lakota people ?

When so many traditional people have asked non native people to stop leading these sensitive cultural practices why does Steve think he knows better about whats good for the long term health of these ceremonies ?

Askmefirst may say good things about Steves character - but this really isn't about Steves general character - it's about what happens way too often, when non native people lead traditional ceremonies . The ceremonies get corupted and degraded and people get hurt. Even if 9 times out of ten this didn't happen ( and I think the odds are much worse ) most societies prohibit activities that go wrong that frequently. It just isn't worth it.  I don't understand how an ethical person would feel OK about doing this when so many say NO and when there is such good reasons behind this.

I hear people justify this sort of stuff saying " People Praying anywhere is good". If people use that justification then it's also true that non Lakota people don't need to use Lakota traditions to Pray, because "anywhere" includes "somewhere else". People need to learn to Pray where they are standing . And for non Lakota related people I can't see any reason that needs to be at a Sundance.   

Just what I found myself thinking after reading this the last few days ....

[Cetan]

Just to add, Ask Me First says that traditional people do not bad mouth medicine men - that is true but Steve is no medicine man. And as a non native does not have the right to be leading a Sundance. Since there are over 30 Sundances on Rosebud alone I do not know what Sundance you are referring to when you say "The Sundance on Rosebud"

[Creative Native]

Moma,

I understand all too well this line of thinking, I do. I have to ask though are you just wanting non natives or non Lakota's to stop doing these things? I just would like a little clarification before I say anything. Thanks.

[Moma_porcupine]

What I want is for non native people to start respecting what the large majority of Native Elders say , which is that non native people should not be leading traditional ceremonies.

It would be up to tribal Elders to decide whether or not it's OK to practice another tribes ceremonies. lf a substantial body of tribal Elders decide it is OK and they agree to be responsible to see these traditions are maintained in a good way, then I would assume these Elders knew what they were doing , and would be there to make sure things didn't go off the rails .