Tomaz Cervantes

[Rattlebone]

 Here is a man that claims to be a Jicarilla medicine man.


 Below is a number of bulletins about him from myspace, and the objections people have with him and why. He is definitely a fraud


A CALL OUT TO ALL NATIVE PEOPLE!
Body:    I don't know about the medicine part of this guy....but he sucks as a photographer.

----------------- Bulletin Message -----------------
From: GRAYWOLF
To:
Date: Jun 5, 2009 2:47 PM
Subject: A CALL OUT TO ALL NATIVE PEOPLE!


----------------- Bulletin Message -----------------
From: Remove Wounded Knee Medals
To:
Date: Jun 5, 2009 2:20 PM
Subject: A CALL TO ALL N-DEH PEOPLE OUT THERE!


----------------- Bulletin Message -----------------
From: wicahcala
To:
Date: 05 Jun 2009, 16:17
Subject: A CALL TO ALL N-DEH PEOPLE OUT THERE!


----------------- Bulletin Message -----------------
From: RAINBOW BADGER WOMAN-TAYA-KATU! WAHI-KALU-PA-U-KI!
To:
Date: Jun 5, 2009 4:16 PM
Subject: A CALL TO ALL N-DEH PEOPLE OUT THERE!


YES, THIS IS THE KIND OF DISRESPECT WE AS WOMEN MUST PUT A END TO NO MATTER WHAT TRIBE YOU ARE A PART OF!!!! WE MUST TEACH OUR GIRL CHILDREN THAT THIS IS NOT SOMETHING TO BE PROUD OF AND OUR BOY CHILDREN THAT THIS IS NOT SOMETHING TO PROMOTE!!!!
MANY BLESSINGS TO ALL...RBW




*************************************************************************************

From: wicahcala
To:
Date: Jun 5, 2009 3:39 PM
Subject: A CALL TO ALL N-DEH PEOPLE OUT THERE!


wicahcala

----------------- Bulletin Message -----------------
From: GRAYWOLF
To:
Date: Jun 5, 2009 3:37 PM
Subject: A CALL TO ALL N-DEH PEOPLE OUT THERE!


THIS GUY IS TRULY AN EXAMPLE OF WHY OUR PEOPLE ARE SO DISRESPECTED---IT IS BECAUSE WE ALLOW SOME WHO SAY THEY ARE FROM OUR PEOPLE TO DISRESPECT US! THIS GUY, TOMAS CERVANTES CLAIMS TO BE A NATIVE MEDICINE MAN AND SPIRITUAL LEADER OF THE JICARILLA APACHE NATION AND YET YOU GO TO HIS SITES WHICH ARE LISTED BELOW, AND YOU SEE THAT HE CAN NOT POSSIBLY BE WHAT HE CLAIMS! IF THE JICARILLA APACHE NATION ALLOWS THIS GUY TO MAKE THESE CLAIMS, THEN I AM ASHAMED OF WHAT OUR PEOPLE HAVE BECOME---THAT IS WHY I SAY "IF"---I CAN NOT BELIEVE ANY TRIBE LET ALONE ONE WITH SUCH A PROUD HERITAGE AS THE JICARILLA, WOULD ALLOW SOMEONE AS LOW AS THIS TO SAY WHAT HE HAS SAID! SO, IT IS NOT MY PLACE TO CONDEMN THIS MAN, ONLY TO POINT OUT WHAT HE IS DOING---AND IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE JICARILLA PEOPLE TO CALL THIS MAN OUT FOR THE HARM HE HAS CAUSED AND THE HARM HE WILL CONTINUE TO CAUSE IF HE IS NOT STOPPED! YOU MAY CALL THE JICARILLA TRIBE AND ASK FOR YOURSELF IF THEY CONDONE THE WEARING OF SACRED EAGLE FEATHERS FOR HIS SO-CALLED PHOTOGRAPHY OF NUDE WOMEN OR IF THEY CONDONE HIS PROMOTION OF DRUG USAGE IN LIGHT OF WHAT ALCOHOL AND DRUG ABUSE HAS DONE TO OUR PEOPLE---WE MUST NEVER FORGET THAT OUR PEOPLE HAVE ALWAYS LED BY EXAMPLE AND IF THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT OUR PEOPLE HAVE BECOME, THEN I AM TRULY ASHAMED AS SHOULD ALL REAL NATIVE PEOPLE! JICARILLA APACHE NATION (575) 759-3242

----------------- Bulletin Message -----------------
From: Native American Myspace
To:
Date: Jun 5, 2009 1:13 PM
Subject: calling out to all the Apache people on Myspace- ALERT


----------------- Bulletin Message -----------------
From: Rescind Wounded Knee Medals of Honor
To:
Date: 05 Jun 2009, 15:10
Subject: calling out to all the Apache people on Myspace- ALERT


----------------- Bulletin Message -----------------
From: Remove Wounded Knee Medals
To:
Date: 05 Jun 2009, 14:58
Subject: calling out to all the Apache people on Myspace- ALERT


----------------- Bulletin Message -----------------
From: Say NO to Culture Vultures
To:
Date: 05 Jun 2009, 14:56
Subject: calling out to all the Apache people on Myspace- ALERT


----------------- Bulletin Message -----------------
From: American Indian Movement Santa Barbara
To:
Date: 05 Jun 2009, 14:54
Subject: calling out to all the Apache people on Myspace- ALERT


This guy states he is Jicarilla Apache-
He states he is a spiritual teacher and healer practicing medicine on people and on his MODELS -


with no disrespect to your NATION
We are challenging his credibility as a Medicine person- a spiritual leader healer and teacher

if anyone wants further discussion
feel free to email us
AIM SB


----------------- Bulletin Message -----------------
From: Native Prisoner Resources
To:
Date: Jun 5, 2009 12:27 PM
Subject: selling out - for $ and piece of ass


----------------- Bulletin Message -----------------
From: American Indian Movement Santa Barbara
To:
Date: 05 Jun 2009, 14:14
Subject: selling out - for $ and piece of ass


Refuse Resist Reject those that sell out our people, medicine and our women -all for $ and piece of ass

OUR Women will not be used as a MASCOT for masterbation
DO NOT sexually objectify our women in cheap ndn costumes and get ups
with REAL eagle feathers, hawk feathers and owl feathers-

This man agreed to take the photos down, lets hold him to it



www.myspace.com/tomazcervantesphotography
____________________________________--

http://www.myspace.com/ganjagodess420..

and this is the other one

his url is
www.myspace.com/tomazc

In this website he has

http://tomazfoto.com/



----------------- Bulletin Message -----------------
From: Night Sky Watcher
To:
Date: Jun 5, 2009 11:53 AM
Subject: Another Fake and Fraud......


www.myspace.com/tomazcervantesphotography

This man claims to be a Medicine Man yet he exploits women. I visited the site above and I was so enraged that any woman would subject herself to this or worse, he subjected them to do this.

Now I am not the brightest crayon in the box but there is something terribly wrong with this person. I don't know what his "medicine man" page is. Some friends have tried to access it and they must have been blocked.

As a people we need to rid this world of these people.....even if we do it one fake at a time.

I am really angry so I better go for now.

[Superdog]

I'm looking through the sites and I'm not seeing any reference to being a medicine man or anything....he lists his ethnicity as Native American on his myspace page, but that's all I'm seeing.

The photography seems pretty standard commercial stuff...don't see anything alarming.

What's the deal here??

[tachia]

I'm looking through the sites and I'm not seeing any reference to being a medicine man or anything....he lists his ethnicity as Native American on his myspace page, but that's all I'm seeing.

The photography seems pretty standard commercial stuff...don't see anything alarming.

What's the deal here??

the guy had a couple of offensive photos .. a model posing as the stereotypical half naked ndn woman, including what appeared to be real eagle, hawk and owl feathers .. .. i saw the photos and yes they were very offensive .. .. i never saw anywhere on any of his sites him claiming to be a "spiritual teacher" or even to be Jicarilla .. ..
 
bottom line is that apparently the man was asked to remove the offensive photos .. and he removed them

if he had some reference to being a "spiritual teacher" and Jicarilla, he removed that as well

the guy has done as he was asked  ..

so yeah what is the deal?

but typical of the myspace drama this bulletin will circulate for weeks, possibly even months, as more and more people "jump on the bandwagon" of this bulletin .. .. .. .. unlike other sites, nafps for example, the fact that the guy complied and removed the offensive material, most likely will never be acknowledged and he will continue to be vilified in the re-posting of this bulletin all  over the internet

do we need to speak out on things like this?  .. yes we do,  but we also have the responsibility to acknowledge the fact that the guy complied when questioned about it .. .. .. beyond that, is this really something to be made so very public? .. why vilify this guy and possibly ruin his business? .. why not simply talk to him, ask him to remove the offensive photos etc and end it there when he complies?

idk but this sort of thing happens far too often in myspace ..
what is wrong with dealing with these sort of people with at least a modicum of integrity? ..

[Rattlebone]

I'm looking through the sites and I'm not seeing any reference to being a medicine man or anything....he lists his ethnicity as Native American on his myspace page, but that's all I'm seeing.

The photography seems pretty standard commercial stuff...don't see anything alarming.

What's the deal here??

the guy had a couple of offensive photos .. a model posing as the stereotypical half naked ndn woman, including what appeared to be real eagle, hawk and owl feathers .. .. i saw the photos and yes they were very offensive .. .. i never saw anywhere on any of his sites him claiming to be a "spiritual teacher" or even to be Jicarilla .. ..
 
bottom line is that apparently the man was asked to remove the offensive photos .. and he removed them

if he had some reference to being a "spiritual teacher" and Jicarilla, he removed that as well

the guy has done as he was asked  ..

so yeah what is the deal?

but typical of the myspace drama this bulletin will circulate for weeks, possibly even months, as more and more people "jump on the bandwagon" of this bulletin .. .. .. .. unlike other sites, nafps for example, the fact that the guy complied and removed the offensive material, most likely will never be acknowledged and he will continue to be vilified in the re-posting of this bulletin all  over the internet

do we need to speak out on things like this?  .. yes we do,  but we also have the responsibility to acknowledge the fact that the guy complied when questioned about it .. .. .. beyond that, is this really something to be made so very public? .. why vilify this guy and possibly ruin his business? .. why not simply talk to him, ask him to remove the offensive photos etc and end it there when he complies?

idk but this sort of thing happens far too often in myspace ..
what is wrong with dealing with these sort of people with at least a modicum of integrity? ..

 If you have complaints about the bulletins, why don't you go talk to Greywolf about it??
 

[educatedindian]

I got a request for information about him from Santa Barbara AIM. Part of the concern is that he's primarily a photographer of nude and bikini models and an agent in the adult film industry whose also claiming to be a medicine man and practice that "medicine" on his models.

Part of the concern also was that the models were nude and semi nude in Hollywood versions of NDN regalia and posing with actual eagle, hawk, and owl feathers.

In addition to the behavior not being at all what a medicine man does, it gets more bizarre. Cervantez was involved in a case where a porn star committed kidnapping and larceny. I hasten to say, Cervantes is not accused of any criminal act himself, though he did possibly provide an ID to a fugitive on the run.

Strong advisory: The first site has adult photos.
-------------------
http://www.adultfyi.com/read.php?ID=7066
According to a post Adultfyi.com received today from "Mutt", Jewel was first sent to him by a Las Vegas agent named Tomaz Cervantes who had been repping her. Because Jewel fit the bill for cute 18 year-olds, Mutt then had his shooter Marco Pallotti book Jewel through Tomaz. Tomaz, however, told Marco they should probably forget it because the Jewel was in LA and flaking....
Miali said that although Marissa had been repped for a time by someone named Tomaz Cervantes in Las Vegas, Pomerico contacted her through an ad. Pomerico swore to Miali she had legitimate identification, but showed up in Los Angeles with something less than that. According to what Miali relayed to Devan, Pomerico confessed that she had been using false identification since being on the run from New York with her sister.


http://hardcoregossip.com/112104-001.html
 I called Tomaz(Cervantes) out in Las Vegas, and told him that this girl had shown up who he used to represent without proper ID’s and he informed me that the birth certificate should be there any day,” Tara explained. “ He is the one who ordered the birth certificate. He is the one who had it Fed Ex’d to his house.”

THE AMERICA’S MOST WANTED STORY -- http://www.amw.com/fugitives/case.cfm?id=28953

---------------------

The concern was that this could have been a Harley Reagan in the making. If he's taken down the photos and stopped posting the claim that's a good sign. He has been willing to talk to Santa Barbara AIM, though they are not entirely satisfied and disturbed by what he had to say. For example, he says he's taking down the photos because the costuming is cheap.

But if he's entirely stopped we don't know. Tomaz Cervantes has made some of his sites private.

TC also claims his brother authorized him to say he is a medicine man. He says his brother is Robert Cervantes. RC is a fairly well known Jicarilla medicine man. He was involved in a famous case where the courts ruled a confession to him was the same as to any other clergy.
 
While a medicine man, he does make mistakes. In that famous case, RC went to the police (several agencies actually) and told them right away what a man confessed to him, rather than kept it in confidence.
 
This assumes the two are actually related since Cervantes is such a common name. Or that RC actually knew his brother would use the claim to "heal" his models, as Santa Barbara AIM tells me Cervantes is claiming himself.

I hope, like I think the others on this thread do, that the best possible interpretation is the true one, that the brother of a medicine man was using claims to do questionable things, but now he knows better and has stopped.

[tachia]

Al ..
that is far more information than was in the "bulletin" .. and it gives a far better and much clearer picture of this guy and his activities .. .. thanks for posting all that .. perhaps the reason some of us could not understand from going to the links provided, is that he has taken information down and made other sites private .. .. more complete information is always helpful, i had tried to research this guy to no avail .. simply saw nothing that was really objectionable other than the stereotyping photos and those were very objectionable .. but he did take them down .. guess that does not really say a lot considering what he had to say to SB AIM about it .. actually, considering the further info, in my opinion, this guy sounds like a sleaze who preys on young women .. .. .. again thanks for giving us a clearer picture of him .. .. ..


mike aka rattlebone .. what IS your problem? do you own stock in myspace? .. i cannot object to anything in myspace without you going off about it .. lol .. (i cannot even open my mouth, anywhere, without you finding some reason to "attack").. .. why would i have need to ask Greywolf? .. i certainly could as he is a friend, but why would i? .. he was not the OP of the bulletin he merely passed it on as so many others are doing .. .. my problem is not that bulletin in particular and i would think that anyone could see that from what i said .. myspace bulletins far too often take on a life of their own, being re-posted for months and months when the issue is actually resolved, dead, or no longer relevant .. that is myspace, it is what it is .. i am not the only one who has objections to the "life" of bulletins, there have even been bulletins posted objecting to bulletins .. lol .. .. ..

[Rattlebone]

 Regardless if the man has "complied" on the internet or not does not necessarily mean he is really complying with anything. You may not see him putting on his myspace site that he is a medicine man, but who is to say he is not doing it in the real world still? Maybe he still is on the sites he has private as Dr. Al has pointed out.

 If he found he could gain something monetarily, or could sexually abuse  people by making them think he is an medicine man, if he really was saying he was one; who is to say that after being  caught on myspace falsely saying he is one, that he still isn't doing in as of now?

 Most criminals go right back to doing the same crimes right after they get out of prison. Sure we can blame that on the failures of the justice system, but that is not a discussion for NAPFS.

 It should not be a discussion of the life of Myspace bulletins, regardless if they go on too long or not. It should be was this man really doing this, and is he now hiding that he is still doing it now elsewhere  now that he has been caught doing it on myspace and might have had to go underground with that.

  I don't feel that this person being placed in research needed is dealing with him with a lack of integrity, when it is simply research and nobody has said anything bad about him.

 Leopards don't change their spots and if they do, it won't be something that happens over night. So who is to say this man is not still claiming to be a Jicarilla medicine man still?

On a side note.. My screen name on this site is Rattlebone, and I ask that nothing besides that be used in reference to me in this thread or any other thread. If I wanted to be addressed as Mike, I would have used it as my screen name.

[bls926]

Regardless if the man has "complied" on the internet or not does not necessarily mean he is really complying with anything. You may not see him putting on his myspace site that he is a medicine man, but who is to say he is not doing it in the real world still? Maybe he still is on the sites he has private as Dr. Al has pointed out.

 If he found he could gain something monetarily, or could sexually abuse  people by making them think he is an medicine man, if he really was saying he was one; who is to say that after being  caught on myspace falsely saying he is one, that he still isn't doing in as of now?

 Most criminals go right back to doing the same crimes right after they get out of prison. Sure we can blame that on the failures of the justice system, but that is not a discussion for NAPFS.

 It should not be a discussion of the life of Myspace bulletins, regardless if they go on too long or not. It should be was this man really doing this, and is he now hiding that he is still doing it now elsewhere  now that he has been caught doing it on myspace and might have had to go underground with that.

  I don't feel that this person being placed in research needed is dealing with him with a lack of integrity, when it is simply research and nobody has said anything bad about him.

 Leopards don't change their spots and if they do, it won't be something that happens over night. So who is to say this man is not still claiming to be a Jicarilla medicine man still?

On a side note.. My screen name on this site is Rattlebone, and I ask that nothing besides that be used in reference to me in this thread or any other thread. If I wanted to be addressed as Mike, I would have used it as my screen name.

Would this apply to anyone and everyone who has ever been in prison? I see you did qualify your statement with "most criminals". So, how do we know which ones have really changed and which ones will be habitual "criminals"?

Leopards don't change their spots . . . Same questions: Which ones change and which ones remain spotted? How are we to know?

I think we owe the man a second chance. At the present time, he has complied with the requests made of him. The pictures have been removed and all mention of being a "medicine man" are gone.

This should in no way be thought of as a defense of Tomaz Cervantes. What he was doing is reprehensible; but assuming that he is continuing to do it, without any proof, is wrong. Making blanket statements about people who have been in prison or who have acted unethically or immorally in the past, could come back to bite you in the ass.

[corine68]

Hello everyone,
my name is Corine Fairbanks, my husband and I watch over the AIM SB my space.  I appreciate all of your interest in the research.  In reading over this thread, I appreciate those of you that had tried to make clear what our issue is with Cervantes.

We had dialog with him, he states
"I may be a medicine person But I am a Warrior first just like Goyathlay (Geronimo). Not some passive old medicine man that sits back and does nothing.

I guess my saying "The day Geronimo Died....Is the day I was born" has more meaning to it. Its kinda funny that we both share that day as his death and my birth as well". 

I admire you for going after the fakes and pretenders.... but keep in mind. That just because a person says they give some medicine to a person to practice doesnt meen that they even have any kind of true power other than singing the songs and using a rattle and going through a ceremony.

True Medicine doesnt come from another person.....it comes down from the Creator. I never asked to be a medicine person nor did I seek it out. It came to me on its own accord...
I am still in disbelief of it everyday and when my medicine tells me things its always right when it comes to situations and people. Sometimes I wish I could shut it off and not deal with it......but somehow it always sucks me back into it.

It has been a huge burdon on me and my family to even have any medicine. I dont go out and wear a badge saying Hi Im the big medicine man. Most that know me on a personal level rarely ever even know what I do other than I happen to be Apache. So if you are assuming that Im running around saying "Hire me hire me Im a medicine man" You couldnt be farther than the truth.

I more associate with Diiyn which means more along the lines of "Spirit person" then Medicine man...."
___________________________

He states clearly that he was acknowledged for having medicine, taught and mentored by Robert Cervantes.  He states he is a healer, spiritual teacher and practices medicine on people. Upon reviewing his myspaces (when they were public) we noticed that he did keep things seperate - and did not make any claims on any of his sites.  What we came across was the dark haired model posing with the Eagle Feathers and Hawk Feathers.  We called him on it, and he blamed the girl about the costumes and didn't mention anything about the feathers.  In fact here is the  quote verbatim:

"You know......on this note I will tend to agree with you.

She brought the outfit with a very very cheasy headpiece. so I made a not so good decision to let her wear that....
In retrospect I should have let her put on the cheasy cheap thing she had on so that we can look even more cartoon like in the white mans eyes and give them all the stereotypes they like to put on us.

so yes I will actually take down the images... because I made a bad decision and put them on her. Next time its rainbow dyed turkey feathers and a rubber tom tom for her.

and a woman can be homely and fat and not appealing and still will be raped and abused. Please dont let this morality issue of how you view the human body through your christian church upbringing sway you to hate the human body. We are all sexual creatures.

Native women suffer this abuse......from OTHER NATIVES!! its not the white man going out and smacking around a native woman its our own people doing this to each other. My images if anything show that there are beautiful native women and not the stereotype of the Fat squaw in a TIPI..  again you have your opinion"

---A frustration that I am currently feeling is- we have no idea if he actually took the photos down, as he agreed to do so, and we know we can not stop him to claim something that he appears to not be. We understand that is the judgement of the Creator and his Nation-

your input and suggestions are very valuable.  Thank you,
corine

[Defend the Sacred]

His remarks about women are not respectful, and he chose to post those pictures objectifying them. While he is right in pointing out that women of all shapes, sizes and ages are subjected to abuse, he then presents his limited idea of beauty and says some really denigrating things in general. Very confused and confusing response from this guy.