Received an account about her.
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Am wondering about Verlinda Montoya, a "medicine woman" from Novato CA. On March 18, 2018 having a retreat at "Spirit Rock" that seems to be a combination of a morning "traditional Lakota sweatlodge" and afternoon Buddhist activities. The "starting fee" is 40 dollars. Evidently she is "from the Picuris Pueblo". The event can be found on the Spirit Rock Facebook page.
She had a monthly women's lodge. Ms Montoya does other ceremonies in Lake County. She has done it other years, as well. Believe she was recently enrolled in the Picuris Pueblo tribe, after finding relatives there, but she actually lives in Novato, CA. She told others that she was raised as a Catholic.
Something about a sweatlodge on a Facebook "event" page, mixed with Buddhist activities, and a 40 dollar fee, seemed odd.
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Page of hers. I bolded portions that raise obvious questions.
https://verlindamontoya.wordpress.com/verlinda-montoyas-ceremonies/Her ancestors are from New Mexico’s pueblos dating back to the 1800’s. She is Tiwa and Hopi with Aztec ancestry dating back to the 1500’s. Her paternal grandparents lived on the Picuris reservation and the other family lived in the surrounding towns of Vadito and Penasco, New Mexico. The family of the maternal line lived in Llano, Vadito, Las Trampas and Taos, New Mexico. The Hopi line is paternal. Her maternal great grandmother also grew up on the reservation.
Neither of Verlinda’s parents were raised in their native traditions because of the extreme racism in NM, they chose to raise their children in Utah away from any Native American influence.
It was in 1982 when Verlinda discovered she was Native American, as she began exploring the native culture she was drawn to do a vision quest in the Lakota tradition, from there she was invited to dance at the Sundance ceremony. A medicine man saw the medicine bundle in the maternal blood line and offered to help her learn and use its power in ceremony. She then began a 20 year journey of learning Lakota Sioux ceremonies with the support and help from her adopted family, medicine people and spiritual leaders.
...involved in traditional ceremonies and protocol since 1991, primarily influenced by her Lakota family and she has been under their guidance and support in conducting ceremonies both locally and internationally. Verlinda has two master’s degrees from the University of Utah in health education and administration and is a registered nurse.
...It is
through Verlinda’s maternal line that the medicine bundle was practiced and passed on to her. She is currently
training her grandchildren in the traditional ways. [Not children? Her grandkids likely would be in their teens at most.]
Verlinda now lives in Marin County, California and is frequently requested to conduct sweat lodges, vision quest, healings & other Native American ceremonies for special interest groups, circles and organizations. She has been asked to lecture on Native American ritual and ceremony for UCSF, CPMC Institute for Health & Healing, Dominican University, Spirit Rock Meditation Center, Seven Circles Foundation and other organizations both locally and internationally. She has also been a guest speaker on radio and television.
Verlinda has been invited to Siberia, Australia, Peru, Belize, Argentina and other Central and South American countries. She has had the privilege of working with the Shamans of Siberia, the elders of the Maori and Aborigine tribes of Australia, Shamans from Peru, a Curandero from Belize and a healer from Argentina. All of this for a cultural exchange. She also studied and traveled for 10 years with a healer from Argentina conducting classes, healing sessions and lectures regarding
master energy work. [Likely Nuage.]
...There are never any charges for ceremony....
out of respect for her teachers and family Verlinda has chosen not to list their names or contact information. [Convenient, and suspicious.]
