Joan Henry/Blue Deer Center

[wolfhawaii]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TYk_fOhkQA&feature=em-subs_digest-vrecs
She is a council member of Nuyagi Keetoowah in New York.

[Laurel]

There's another thread on the Blue Deer Center and its founder Elliott Cowan

http://www.newagefraud.org/smf/index.php?topic=4262.0

but I don't think Joan is mentioned?

[Sturmboe]

Joan Henry is an eathsinger,
she is       http://earthsinger.net/bio:
Quote: Vocalist, actress, dancer, composer, poet-lyricist, percussionist and choreographer, it’s hard to think of a style she doesn’t cover.

on this homepage is an interview with HV Biz
http://earthsinger.net/hv-biz-interview


To me it seems she was invited by the deer center to show the alligator dance.

[milehighsalute]

http://www.sacredfirefoundation.org/common/person/view/id/52/refererTitle/Ancient%2BWisdom%2BRising%2B2013/refererUrl/%252Fevents%252Fevent%252Fview%252Fid%252F5%252Fsection%252Fancient-wisdom-rising is sacred fire foundation legit?

[milehighsalute]

oh nevermind....elliot cowan is on their board of trustees using the name david wiley....im gonna spread word on FB

[wolfhawaii]

There are a lot of big names associated with that sacred fire org……makes me wonder. Joan Henry is apparently claiming to be Cherokee per her bio on the sacred fire site……wonder if she knows that traditionally women do not lead songs and dances?

[Defend the Sacred]

These nuage centers have a rotating cast of "presenters." They try really hard to get legit (or formerly-legit) people to sell out, so they can put at least one "respected" person on the bill with their crew of pretendians. Usually they do this by misrepresenting themselves and their group, pressuring Natives to sign contracts before they've had a chance to look too closely at what they're signing up for. They claim it will be a forum for traditional or interfaith discussion, then they find out they're in bed with a bunch of pretendian ceremony-sellers. Then even if the swindled person backs out, or never goes back, they will continue to use their photo and name to promote their center.

There are people I know personally - both Native and non - who have been approached by their staff for this nasty purpose. They use Facebook and other social media to try to find people they can exploit, or bribe into exploiting their culture.

[educatedindian]

Henry seems primarily an entertainer. Her credits include appearing on the Pocahontas soundtrack for example. I recall there was another thread where we discussed Joanne Shenandoah appearing once at a Nuage event that she likely didn't realize was such until after. But with JH this is different.

BDC and the white wannabe "Huichols" who make up most of the "healers" there present JH as an elder and healer. She talks about music healing, and how music can be sacred. But that's more along the lines of singing the blues making you feel better, and a gospel singer regarding their music as sacred. BDC is misrepresenting her to give the impression she's an elder and healer. She takes care not to do that on her own site.

Henry and Oren Lyons seem to be the only ones who keep coming back. All the others have made a single appearance at either BDC or Sacred Fire Foundation events. BDC and SFF seem to be virtually the same organization and people, two groups under different names. And of course NDNs are far outnumbered by "white Huichols" plus several whites posing as African healers.

What might fool JH and Lyons is that some of the grants for SFF do seem to have a good purpose. At the same time these events are primarily ceremony selling to whites, offering the chance for them to become yet more whites who think they are Huichol healers.

Even if Cowan and his franchisees are completely sincere and do their best to present Huichol traditions accurately, it's still altering Huichol tradition. It's still whites presenting Huichol ways ripped from their context. It's still centered on individual ego of westerners.

There could be traditions that deserve to be and need to be taught to outsiders. The obvious ones would be herbal healing. But the last thing you should do would be set up franchises and ceremony selling. You'd go to university researchers or western doctors and work with them.
ETA: Edited out reference to Henry as NDN, which is very uncertain at best.

[Diana]

Henry has made a career out of claiming an Indian identity. Would she have been hired without this claim? I think not. I personally do not believe she is Indian (Cherokee).

She doesn't say which Cherokee Tribe nor was she raised any where near the Cherokee. According to her bio she is from Washington DC and moved to New York at a young age. I think she looks African American.

And someone else mentioned that Cherokee women don't lead drums or dance and she doesn't seem to know the difference.

It would be interesting to do her genealogy, I can't find a birthdate on her though. Anyone know a little more about her? 


Lim lemtsh,


Diana

[milehighsalute]

david cornsilk says she is NOT cherokee, that there is no such thing as an alligator dance and no such thing as "nuyagi keetoowah"..........................your welcome

[milehighsalute]

i contacted the huichol cultural center in mexico today and asked them for a statement and sent them links here and to some of the sites these assholes operate on...........hopefully they respond soon......if you have facebook look up united urban warrior society exposing the fakes project......am all over that spot

[Diana]

david cornsilk says she is NOT cherokee, that there is no such thing as an alligator dance and no such thing as "nuyagi keetoowah"..........................your welcome

LOL!! Thanks MHS, I was wondering about that alligator dance. White people will believe anything. 

[milehighsalute]

he said it was a corruption and desecration of the gar dance.....which she may have seen at sometime with some stomp thrown in

[Epiphany]

Henry has made a career out of claiming an Indian identity. Would she have been hired without this claim? I think not. I personally do not believe she is Indian (Cherokee).

She doesn't say which Cherokee Tribe nor was she raised any where near the Cherokee. According to her bio she is from Washington DC and moved to New York at a young age. I think she looks African American.

And someone else mentioned that Cherokee women don't lead drums or dance and she doesn't seem to know the difference.

It would be interesting to do her genealogy, I can't find a birthdate on her though. Anyone know a little more about her? 


Lim lemtsh,


Diana

Name:    Joan Christie
Also Known As:    J Henry
2nd Also Known As Name:    Joan A Henry
3rd Also Known As Name:    Joani A Henry
Residence Date:    02 Nov 2004-01 Oct 2007
Residence Place:    Shandaken, New York, United States
Birth Date:    01 Mar 1956

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/KGGY-5C8

I don't know if Christie is a married or birth surname.

There are two names on that page listed as possible relatives. Dennis Yerry, who I  think might not be related, but has done music work with her, her name is listed on his site. http://www.dennisyerry.com/ Also a Maury S Christie, who I've not found much about yet.

[loudcrow]

This is probably from 2009, but Joan (Joani Henry), an elder, is running Women's Sweat Lodges.
http://www.mynewsletterbuilder.com/email/newsletter/1409965179#13