I have asked her about appropriation and this is her reply (I feel kind of bad posting this as it is a private message, but I need to get to the truth):
Madalaine, I have to face this every day in my work. Being native and being taught a number of different ceremonies and rituals to honor my medicine and the medicine of the Earth, appropriation comes up. I handle it by consulting with my teachers and elders and I send my vision quest women to work with a medicine woman trained in that particular ceremony. I do not hold ceremonies that belong to a culture or tribe I do not hold membership in, or wear traditional dress, nor do I make medicine that is not given to me by the earth in my locale unless invited to.
So some questions we can have before giving her any money, taking her counsel, accepting her guidance:
What does she mean by "being native"? That is a very general term. We get to ask for specifics. Is she enrolled in a federally recognized tribe? If not, what is her actual heritage? How distant? Is she involved in the day to day community of her people?
Who are her "teachers and elders"? If they are real, actual, they have names, who are they? If they are vision dream elders and teachers, Pixie needs to be clear on this.
Who are her "vision quest women" - does she mean parts of herself?
Is the reference to a "medicine woman trained in that particular ceremony" referring to a dream figure in her own psyche? If this is an actual "medicine woman", she would have a name.
We have a thread here on Middle aged White Women (I'm one myself) and on how we can stop playing pretendian and find healthier ways to live.
http://www.newagefraud.org/smf/index.php?topic=3651.msg30821#msg30821 I think Pixie is an entitled white woman playing NDN.
Pixie sounds like she is claiming that she is special. She has special insight, special connections to the spirit world, special heritage, special abilities. That claim of "special" can be a red flag.
You may see another side of her now, as she feels questioned, she may feel defensive, you may feel like you are doing something "wrong". But questioning, researching, and making good choices is an excellent pursuit. We are adults, we get to apply consumer awareness skills, we get to think things over.