Mi’kmaq Burial Grounds Research & Restoration Association

[apukjij]

can anyone help identify this Ellen Hunt, president of the Mi’kmaq Burial Grounds Research & Restoration Association  obviously a "acadian-micmac-metis" who is passing her self off as a Mi'kmaq Elder and recieving funds from an unsuppecting municipal representative for a acadian-micmac festival featuring:" arts and crafts demonstrations, storytelling, workshops, Mi'Kmaq spiritual ceremonies and traditional music". shouldnt that money go to burial restoration and research projects?" nobody i know seems to know of her.
http://www.geraldkeddy.ca/EN/4734/93688
http://southshorenow.ca/newsnowclips/play.php?vid=806

[educatedindian]

Found this on her.

It's also worth noting the others she's presenting with all seem to be pretenders, dubious characters, or in some cases likely self deluded. There's a follower of Diane Fisher/Dhyani Yawahoo, another of Harner's, a white woman claiming to speak for an African tradition and so on.

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http://www.shamanicconference2009.org/
Ellen Hunt was born and raised in Bay d’ Espoir, NL. She moved to Lunenburg County, NS in 1977. She is married with a daughter and a son. She is a grandmother of two beautiful boys.

Nine years ago while enjoying a picnic on a special island off Riverport,
NS, she received a calling from the Spirit World. Following this calling and
teachings from Elder Charlie Labrador and Elder Rose Morris, Ellen took up the practices of Mi’kmaq ceremonies and traditions. She is very proud of her culture and heritage, shares with others, and is open to new learning with other cultures and traditions. She has been chosen to represent the Mi’kmaq as Elder in the community. She is chosen by the Spirit World to be protector of our ancestors and was given the Ancestor Bundle at a Give Away Ceremony in Gold River.

Ellen is the founder and president of the Mi’kmaq Burial Ground Research and Restoration Association. The mandate of this association is to work with land owners to research, protect and restore abandoned/ancient Mi’kmaq or Mi’kmaq mixed i.e.: Acadian, Irish, English burial sites. To date, the association has restored, erected and dedicated monuments in Bridgewater, Petite Riviere and Indian Point, Lunenburg County,NS. She also travels to Micous Island in St. Margaret’s Bay to work with youth.

Ellen is founder and coordinator of the Annual Mi’kmaq/Acadian Festival at Fort Point, Lahave. It is held the third weekend in August, (festival dates this year, August 21 &22). During the festival, she conducts ceremonies at the ancient burial site in Petite Riviere.

A Board Director and Mi’kmaq representative to the Lunenburg County Historical Society, Ellen designed the Mi’kmaq Village, artifact display and Mi’kmaq Resource Library at Fort Point Museum in Lahave, NS, and assisted with the Mi’kmaq Fisheries display at the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic.

Ellen is writing a book ” All About Granny” in which she shares stories of her childhood and culture.

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This is her organization's facebook page.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mikmaq-Burial-Grounds-Research-and-Restoration-Association/111761437644

There's also some links about the work the group did on a monument and with museums.
Article by her.
http://www.danielnpaul.com/Mi'kmaqBurialGround.html

An article on her has her wearing an interesting hat. Can anyone tell me what's that from?
http://lahaverivercampground.blogspot.com/2009/07/ellen-makes-news-again.html

[critter - a white non-ndn person]

Whenever someone tells me they've been 'chosen by the spirit world' I have immediate doubts.  I don't believe the "spirit world" is going around choosing people for this or that. "People" choose this or that to do, that is my belief.  Especially when it's a 'self made' interpretation. 

Whatever (or even 'if') the spirit world pointed something out to her, a direction, perhaps, it is a far cry from saying you were 'chosen by the spirit world'.  I don't know if she is what she says, and for all I know her work is good, and everyone is happy with what she is doing.  But in my belief, "she" is the one who chose what to do. 

I understand (or maybe not) that some people's may have directions for life pointed out to them, but those 'signs' or 'indications' are usually, probably always, interpreted by someone else.  Self interpretation to me, is self proclamation.  And it's something I just don't like, and I end up with immediate doubt.

Someone once said to me, in terms of the topic of 'chosen ones' that it is we who choose ourselves.

[uktena]

It's beginning to look like they need to reconsider an old saying.  It isn't "many are chosen, though few are called", it's the other way around.   

[dabosijigwokush]

another pay to pray
and there prices??

[apukjij]

ya, the shamanic conference costs over a 1000$ to attend, and the sweatlodge featured is poor timing considering sedona, im going to dig into this further.

[Defend the Sacred]

I see Caitlin Matthews, an Englishwoman, is one of the headliners at that "shamanic" conference. She and her husband, John Matthews, are two of the main people to blame for the "Celtic Shamanism" frauds out there. They set the trend for white people ripping off NDNs and trying to cover their trail by calling it "Celtic". They have been discussed a couple times on here before:

* http://www.newagefraud.org/smf/index.php?topic=280.msg13865#msg13865 
* http://www.newagefraud.org/smf/index.php?topic=1476.msg8942#msg8942

While some of their initial writings on matters Celtic weren't too bad, some time in the nineties they started doing fake Inipis and calling them by misapplied Gaelic terms, and tacking incorrect names from various Celtic languages onto Harner Core Shamanism. Their work progressively contained more and more misinformation about Celtic beliefs and practices, and more of their fantasies presented as tradition. The white people ate it up, and it's still wreaking havoc among the gullible.

This PDF gives fees for the various workshops and ceremonies they sell. You can pay them thousands of dollars for Core Shamanism (with Celtique/Indianer Dressing!), or Spiritual Tourism to Egypt. Who knew the Celts worshiped Egyptian Deities? (Uh, they didn't, but we're talking English imperialists here, not Celts.) If you're only feeling like spending hundreds, they also offer tarot readings and pay-to-pray get-togethers: http://www.hallowquest.org.uk/pdfs/Courses%20from%20Caitlin%20and%20John%20Matthews.pdf

[apukjij]

hi all, i did recieve a response to the many emails i sent out in Mi'kmaq country about this group. It is from Charlie Labrador's grandaughter, as they are using his name to justify themselves:
    "I know who many of those ladies are. I am ever surprised that they still carry out the things they do. Very things that upset my Grandfather, and even though he had a hard time to say no, he asked many of them to not return to his gathering.
How all they have done hasn't caught up to them yet and stop those women, I'll never know.

It's unfortunate that people continue to use my Grandfather, Charlie's name. My Grandfather raise me from birth. I lived with him until he died. He never taught people how to become a "healer" or a "shaman". Yet people "assume" that if my Grandfather spoke two words to them, boy oh boy, they are now great elder teacher-healers-etc.

That's the very reason I keep a low-profile and I do my own thing that is both respectful to first all myself, and secondly Mother Earth, and I try to avoid those looking for profit for teaching our "sacred ways".

The definition of Mi'kmaq Elder---its too loosely given out and I honestly don't think you even need to be "Mi'kmaq"... Or so it seems you don't.

My Grandfather believe in teaching our ways, ONLY to the right people. Teaching understanding of our culture does not mean teaching of our ways. He was protective of the important ceremonies and only passed them on to his blood. But apparently people assumed--and their egos grew.

I guess that's my rant for the year."

because she wants to keep a low profile, i will only release her email address and her name to an administrator if they need it, thanks again for all your efforts in bringing these frauds to light.

[apukjij]

hi, and to answer your question Al, she is wearing a Traditional Mi'kmaq Peaked Cap, worn by the People for generations...

[clanmother]

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