Hi! I stumbled across this forum while trying to gather some information on the fraudster, Mike Chirobokow, a Canadian white guy with aspirations to be First Nations
. I'm a professor at Centennial College in Toronto, Canada. There's a range of courses that I teach, and two happen to pertain to Indigenous peoples. While reviewing materials to use in one of the courses, I came across the video, "Spirits for Sale", and this Chirobokow guy was being interviewed by the producer at the beginning of the film. His fraudulent activities pretty much lay the foundation for the rest of the documentary, which looks at the appropriation of Indigenous land, culture, ways of life and spirituality. He was selling sweat lodge "experiences" for about $100 Canadian to Danish people looking for an Aboriginal experience.
Needless to say, it's disturbing, but googling him brought me here, and I thought I'd sign up to learn and share. So, thanks for letting me in!
I'm not First Nations. I'm white with Irish and French ancestry, who's ancestors on the French side apparently came to what is now Canada in the middle of the 1600's. My interest in First Nations/Indigenous people (politics, culture, history, contemporary issues, land claims and sovereignty, etc) stems from a number of sources, but likely one the more important ones is my late, Great Uncle, Clifford Sinclair, who was plains Cree from Manitoba. He married my father's, Mother's sister. He was quite close to my mother and my sister and I, and he undoubtedly had a significant impact on our desire to learn more about Canada's First Peoples, and Indigenous peoples beyond. I credit other people, professors who I took courses from in the Native Studies Department at the University of Lethbridge, in Lethbridge, Alberta. Some them were Dr. Marie Smallface Marule, who is Blackfoot from the Blood Reserve, the esteemed author, Dr. Tom King, who is Cherokee from California, and Dr. Leroy Little Bear, who is also, I believe, from the Blood Reserve.
So that's a bit of an introduction. I'm really here to learn, but if I have something to offer, and if you're interested in hearing, I'll share too! Oh, and it's a god documentary, that the students can definitely benefit from. Cheers!
