Do the Cherokee actually have pipe carriers? (Ive heard a bunch of places that it is not a Cherokee Nation tradition, but this person keeps posting everywhere that she is a pipe carrier in the Cherokee tradition)
I dont see what relevance can be gained in someone's sales pages by referencing what ceremonies they've attended, but the claim of being a pipe carrier made me think I should ask this here or at least bring it to your attention.
http://www.crossroadsuniversity.com/faculty.htm"Denise Alvarado
Denise Alvarado (1960) is a New Orleans born, native Creole raised in the Voodoo and hoodoo rich culture of New Orleans, Louisiana. She has studied indigenous healing traditions from a personal, professional and academic perspective for over four decades. Her activities include cultural and spiritual consulting, assessment, & training for individuals and organizations. She has consulted with Scotland Yard on the issue of African Ju Ju and human trafficking, the History Channel on New Orleans Voodoo and with the production company for the Sci-Fi channel Raw TV on paranormal phenomenon. She is the creator and Editor in Chief of the first magazine devoted to the preservation of Southern folk magic traditions and New Orleans Voodoo and Hoodoo called Hoodoo and Conjure Quarterly.
Denise has a Bachelor of Science extended degree in cultural anthropology from Northern Arizona University, a Doctor of Divinity from ULC and a Masters of Science in general psychology from Walden University. She was the recipient of Walden University's Fellowship in Research and Applications for Social Change, 2008-2009 with her research on Native American wellness and quality of life.
In addition to her academic achievements, Denise is a rootworker in the Southern hoodoo tradition, having learned about the plants and roots from her mother and grandmother.
She is also medicine woman and pipe carrier in the Cherokee tradition, having participated in many Lakota, Cherokee, Meskwaki and Navajo ceremonies over the past 30 years. She was introduced to the Spirits and Spiritualism by her aunt on the bayous of Mississippi at the young age of five, and received knowledge of the healing plants and roots from her mother and grandmother.
Denise's indigenous ancestry includes Cherokee of the Bird Clan on her mother's side and Aztec on her father's side, descending from King Xicotencatl el Viejo of the tribe Tlaxcalteca, one of the seven original Aztec tribes."
http://www.planetvoodoo.com/black-hawk-products.htm"The Spiritualist churches of New Orleans honor the Native American spirit of Black Hawk. Black Hawk is also considered a Voodoo Saint and is often included in ritual work wherein worshipers become possessed and gain the power to heal and prophesy. The Indian Spirit Guide has a big influence on Hoodoo and Voodoo today and can be seen on many hoodoo products such as Indian Spirit Incense and room spray by the E. Davis Company, and now on Planet Voodoo's own Voodoo Mama's brand.
I am happy to offer you Voodoo Mama's signature line of Black Hawk Spiritual products. The ingredients are gathered according to proper Native American protocol as I was taught by many teachers over the years. Like Mam'zelle Laveaux, I am Creole of Native American ancestry; Cherokee on my mother's side of the Bird Clan and Aztec on my father's side, descending from one of the seven original Aztec tribes of Tlaxcala, and direct descendent of King Xicontencotl el Viejo. Pedro de Alvarado, the Spanish conquistador who is also my ancestor, married the daughter of King Xicotencatl el Viejo and had the first mixed blood children in the Americas. This is my lineage, traced back to the 1400s.
Unlike others who profess to know the Indian Spirits of hoodoo, I have met the spirits first hand in authentic Native American ritual context. I have gone through many ceremonies and rites of passage that gave me the privilege of being keeper of the medicine. Many years ago, I was put on the hill for my hunblecha by Lakota Holy Man Ben Brown Horse of Eagle Butte South Dakota. I have been to Sundance and I was given the role of "water pourer" for the inipi ceremony, which in English is the sweat lodge purification ceremony. I have participated in the Native American Church and have partaken of the blessed sacrament. I am a pipe carrier, and I have been in the longhouses of the Sac and Fox and participated in a burial ceremony among many others.
These are only some of the spiritual rites of passage and activities I have experienced and continue to experience in my lifetime. My knowledge of the Indian Spirit medicines comes directly from the Holy men and women in my life as well as from the Spirits themselves. You can be assured that what you purchase from me is the real thing, and is not based on reading a book or an educated guess. I am not someone who has jumped on the bandwagon, professing to know what I do not. If you want the real thing, you have come to the right place. Everything available at Planet Voodoo is empowered with the medicine of the Great Spirit and it will help you. You only need to be open and willing to receive the abundance that awaits you.
I am a proud member of the Association of Indigenous Anthropologists, a section of the American Anthropological Association, member #00041431 ."
