Thunderbow / Gerald TallTree / Gerald McLaren "Navajo Medicine Man"

[Piff]

Intro thread here: http://www.newagefraud.org/smf/index.php?topic=5037.0

Info concerning his site lightningthunderbow.com :

Name:
Gerald McLaren
Organization:
McLaren
State:
AZ
Postal Code:
86442
Country:
US

https://www.whois.com/whois/lightningthunderbow.com

Navajo Medicine Man reference: http://lightningthunderbow.boardhost.com/viewtopic.php?pid=118#p118

[Piff]

GM has an ongoing pattern, seen also in other forums and blogs discussing cultural appropriation.

His themes are:

Critics have "personal psychological issues".

Criticism of cultural appropriation is angry and paranoid.

Criticism of cultural appropriation is "no different than the angry words of I.S.I.S."

Criticism of the New Age Movement is a paranoid rant.

We are all wrong, he is right. He is of the Heart, we are blind bullies.

https://2012spiritinaction.wordpress.com/2012/10/08/native-american-spiritual-truths-in-the-new-age/ especially the comment  Thunder Bow
December 1, 2014 at 11:57 am   

[Diana]

Here's Gerald Mclaren's geneaology.  From the whois info Piff provided (address was included) it was fairly easy to find out who this "Navajo Medicine Man" was.


Gerald Francis Mclaren in the California Birth Index, 1905-1995

Name:   Gerald Francis Mclaren
Birth Date:   24 Jan 1947
Gender:   Male
Mother's Maiden Name:   Skondeen
Birth County:   Alameda
SAVE & CREATE TREE   Cancel

Mother:
Vera M Shkondeen
 
in the 1930 United States Federal Census
VIEW 1930 United States Federal Census
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Name:   Vera M Shkondeen
Birth Year:   abt 1922
Gender:   Female
Race:   White
Birthplace:   California
Marital Status:   Single
Relation to Head of House:   Foster Daughter
Home in 1930:   San Francisco, San Francisco, California
Map of Home:   View Map
Street address:   Andover Street
Ward of City:   A. D. 23
Block:   211
House Number in Cities or Towns:   637
Dwelling Number:   176
Family Number:   179
Attended School:   Yes
Able to Read and Write:   Yes
Father's Birthplace:   Russia
Mother's Birthplace:   Russia
Household Members:   
Name   Age
John T Denahy   66
Elizabeth A Denahy   50
Ruth E Denahy   13
Vera M Shkondeen   8
Neighbors:   View others on page

Well there you are. His mother's parents are Russian immigrants. I also looked at the 1940 census and her name was spelled like on his birth record Skondeen.

Father:
Raymond Mclaren

in the 1930 United States Federal Census
VIEW 1930 United States Federal Census

Name:   Raymond Mclaren
Birth Year:   abt 1920
Gender:   Male
Race:   White
Birthplace:   California
Marital Status:   Single
Relation to Head of House:   Son
Home in 1930:   San Francisco, San Francisco, California
Map of Home:   View Map
Street address:   Tara
Ward of City:   Assem. Dist. 24
Block:   553
House Number in Cities or Towns:   324
Dwelling Number:   287
Family Number:   290
Attended School:   Yes
Able to Read and Write:   Yes
Father's Birthplace:   New Jersey
Mother's Birthplace:   California
Able to Speak English:   Yes
Household Members:   
Name   Age
George Mclaren   30
Jane Mclaren   28
Raymond Mclaren   10
George Mclaren   3
Neighbors:   

Here's Gerald Mclaren's grandfather from the same 1930 census and guess what??? His parents are from Scottland.

George Mclaren

the 1930 United States Federal Census
VIEW 1930 United States Federal Census
Name:   George Mclaren
Birth Year:   abt 1900
Gender:   Male
Race:   White
Birthplace:   New Jersey
Marital Status:   Married
Relation to Head of House:   Head
Home in 1930:   San Francisco, San Francisco, California
Map of Home:   View Map
Street address:   Tara
Ward of City:   Assem. Dist. 24
Block:   553
House Number in Cities or Towns:   324
Dwelling Number:   287
Family Number:   290
Home Owned or Rented:   Rented
Home Value:   20
Radio Set:   Yes
Lives on Farm:   No
Age at First Marriage:   24
Attended School:   No
Able to Read and Write:   Yes
Father's Birthplace:   Scotland
Mother's Birthplace:   Scotland
Able to Speak English:   Yes
Occupation:   Printer
Industry:   Printing
Class of Worker:   Wage or salary worker
Employment:   Yes
Veteran:   Yes
War:   WW
Household Members:   
Name   Age
George Mclaren   30
Jane Mclaren   28
Raymond Mclaren   10
George Mclaren   3
Neighbors:   View others on page

And grandmother Jane Jacobsen Mclaren.

Jane Mclaren
 in the 1930 United States Federal Census
VIEW 1930 United States Federal Census
Name:   Jane Mclaren
Birth Year:   abt 1902]
Gender:   Female
Race:   White
Birthplace:   California
Marital Status:   Married
Relation to Head of House:   Wife
Homemaker?:   Yes
Home in 1930:   San Francisco, San Francisco, California
Map of Home:   View Map
Street address:   Tara
Ward of City:   Assem. Dist. 24
Block:   553
House Number in Cities or Towns:   324
Dwelling Number:   287
Family Number:   290
Age at First Marriage:   22
Attended School:   No
Able to Read and Write:   Yes
Father's Birthplace:   Norway
Mother's Birthplace:   Utah
Able to Speak English:   Yes
Household Members:   
Name   Age
George Mclaren   30
Jane Mclaren   28
Raymond Mclaren   10
George Mclaren   3
Neighbors:   View others on page

Now Gerald Mcleran's great grandmother was born in Utah her name is Clara Proksch Jacobson. Her father is from Austria and her mother is from Ireland. I will show a marrige record to connect the two and her maiden name on another post as this one is getting so long.




Navajo Medicine Man reference: http://lightningthunderbow.boardhost.com/viewtopic.php?pid=118#p118

Intro thread here: http://www.newagefraud.org/smf/index.php?topic=5037.0

Info concerning his site lightningthunderbow.com :

Name:
Gerald McLaren
Organization:
McLaren
State:
AZ
Postal Code:
86442
Country:
US

https://www.whois.com/whois/lightningthunderbow.com

Navajo Medicine Man reference: http://lightningthunderbow.boardhost.com/viewtopic.php?pid=118#p118

[educatedindian]

Repeating what I said in the other thread about his forum Hanblecheya:

Even without his impersonation, the forum of his is obviously Nuage trying to pose as Native. The funniest part is his recommending a Disney movie to understand power animals. The title also is an obvious tip off, a Lakota ceremony but led by someone posing as Navajo.

The forum's other members include an English woman calling herself Star Wolf Medicine Woman (seriously...?), Native in Past Life, Native Spirit, etc. There's also threads about the paranormal, remote viewing, Reiki, survivalism, and an experience with a Peruvian curandero that a white Nuager thought was a shaman.

I don't see any sign of Gerald selling ceremony, but his forum is mostly Nuagers trying to convince themselves what they're doing is OK, or even helpful to themselves instead of frantic thrashing around and wishful thinking. Like many such places, it saddens me to see people so lost and desperate and being taken advantage of.

More on him. FB where he claims he graduated from Ship Rock HS on the Navajo rez.
https://www.facebook.com/gerald.talltree

Youtube channel of his, with lots of knockoffs of Lakota beliefs with slideshows of Hamilton Mint paintings.
https://www.youtube.com/user/GrowingTreeAz/videos

[Thunderbow]

From a domain registration, you tried to identify the author of the site. Then you put it out here. In your angry attempt to invalidate people, you do great harm. What kind of hackers will you release on Mr. Gerald Mclaren? He is the person paying for my site, thus his name is there. He gave me the password and I maintain the site. I meet Gerald while I was working at the Grand Canyon. Interesting seeing the information, but you do great harm. Gerald Tall Tree is my name.

You people are bullies and are forcing your concepts on Native People. That is all about control. You knowing nothing about "New Age". I am not here to defend their concepts, but using the Label "New Age" is political, and is harmful. You people know nothing about New Age concepts or what New Age really is. You are blind in your anger and need to CONTROL. Your blindness keeps you from seeing deeper thoughts, your blindness and anger threatens all Native People. YOU are defining Native People to Native People. But what makes you so knowledgeable? What right do you you have to tell others who is Native? and what Native is. What right do you have to pass judgement on something you know nothing about?

You Judge my Forum out of blindness without really reading it. You have your preset ideas about New Age without understanding it. Understanding does not mean agreeing, it means knowledge. You employ Powerful Propaganda Tools, but as a result, truth is lost, and so is the knowledge that goes with it. This is what destroyed the 1st Nations years ago. Today, people like you are continuing this destruction.

[RedRightHand]

Gerald, no one's buying it. You're not Dineh. You're not Native. You're a newage scammer. If we're wrong, tell us your clan and Elders and we'll talk to them about why you're posting newage and fake Lakota pan-Indian crap on the Internet and telling gullible white people it's "Navajo Medicine".

For Gerald's forum members who may have come here: His advice to take DNA tests to find out if you're "Cherokee" is totally bogus. DNA tests cannot tell if you are from a specific tribe. They cannot even determine for certain if you have Native American ancestors. While there are markers and alleles that are found most commonly among indigenous people, there are also factors that can lead to false positives. As Native identity is about community, family, citizenship and in-person, living culture, no legitimate tribe accepts DNA as proof of Native identity.

Don't believe anything this guy tells you. If he has asked you for money or given you weird advice, feel free to contact people here about it.

[educatedindian]

Let's hear some more of what he believes. Bold is mine:

"The Noble Hollywood Indian Warrior Image is much more Healing than those harsh words in that [AIM] manifesto. The feeling I get from fury fussy purple dream catches, are far more healing than the bad feelings I get from reading that manifesto. Cute wolves and Indian lovers surrounded by them, is much more healing than having native thoughts about others and one self. I do not understand this war on feeling good. How can feeling good be exploitation of the Indian Nations? I don’t care New Age people use our warrior image to feel good, even if it is a bit to romantic. They are not exploiting us. Only the Sales People do that by producing the goods that sell....

If a bunch or white people are in a drumming circle, pretending to be Indians, and it makes them feel good, what is so wrong with that? No one can steal our ways doing that pretending. To me, feeling good is healing. If they can heal by doing a fake drumming circle, so much the better.

I am into healing. I say go with the Romantic Noble Warrior and the good feelings it gives you. Go ahead, and sleep with that furry fuzzy purple dream catcher next to you. Go with the warm fuzzy feelings you get when you see a Photoshopped image of Indian Lovers surrounded with cute furry wolves. Warm fuzzy feelings can heal you! The world really needs this kind of thing."

And of course, what we see so often. Once the mask is taken off, out comes words far angrier than anyone here has ever said. That same thread see Gerald go into a racist rant, ironically attacking someone for having white ancestry. But he argues it's not racist, just that part white ancestry makes one colonized. Yet the spiritual colonialism of Nuage he defends at length. He has since at least 2010, despite his dubious claims of no internet skills, despite having built a Youtube channel and another website.

One of the more curious things I found was his insisting on a psychology forum that being gay is a choice. That is a very westernized fundamentalist POV. There's quite a bit of psychological projection in his vicious bullying attacks and ways, both here and elsewhere:

"I love Nuage, and if you criticize it you are destroying Native tradition."
"Gays are choosing to be gay [following the fundamentalist argument] but if you criticize Nuage you are being like ISIS fundamentalists."
"You knowing nothing about New Age. I am not here to defend their concepts" when he does nothing but that.
"using the Label New Age is political [said by those who avoid politics] and is harmful" when it's their own term.

As said before, he doesn't sell ceremony. He just likes their stroking his ego and spends every spare moment seeking it out across half a dozen forums. That leads him to do sometimes very unethical things, such as posting the location of spots for vision quests.

[Thunderbow]

GM has an ongoing pattern, seen also in other forums and blogs discussing cultural appropriation.

His themes are:

Critics have "personal psychological issues".

Criticism of cultural appropriation is angry and paranoid.

Criticism of cultural appropriation is "no different than the angry words of I.S.I.S."

Criticism of the New Age Movement is a paranoid rant.

We are all wrong, he is right. He is of the Heart, we are blind bullies.

https://2012spiritinaction.wordpress.com/2012/10/08/native-american-spiritual-truths-in-the-new-age/ especially the comment  Thunder Bow
December 1, 2014 at 11:57 am

Clear misinformation taken out of context with the glib addition: "Criticism cultural appropriation" to my quoted comments. Gerald Mclaren was my roommate at the Grand Canyon. I thank him for his assistance. Lies and personal invalidation is what this site is all about. Everything is taken out of context and twisted to suit your hate and misinformation. All 1st Nations are endangered by this kind of bullying and propaganda. Who are you to say who's Native? Who are you to say what being Native is? You impose your lies on other Natives. That means CONTROL and anger. Shame on you!

[Thunderbow]

More Misinformation and editorial lies again. You take my words out of context with no understanding of what I am trying to say. You are all about CONTROL. Be as nasty as your like, quote someones name to invalidate me. You are all about INVALIDATION and ANGER. You use that to CONTROL others with lies and misinformation. Now I know what Hillary Clinton feels like. The 1st Nations are very divers, there no one set rule to follow. Your imposing rules is destructive to all.

It is pointless to defend myself, and I will not. But what this site is all about is CONTROL and ANGER. Shame on you!

[Piff]

Thunder Bow
November 30, 2014 at 11:01 am   

I do use Tarot Cards and other decks in my work here on the Rez. Yes they aid me, help me see what I did not think of before. I suggest you try using Tarot Cards. Your posts would be much more thoughtful. Many have asked me for Tarot Reading here on the Rez. When I was working at the Grand Canyon, people would drive up from the Rez for a Tarot Reading by me.

https://2012spiritinaction.wordpress.com/2012/10/08/native-american-spiritual-truths-in-the-new-age/

So a man who claims he is a "Navajo Medicine Man" offers tarot card readings.

Questioning this  is not "invalidation", "control", "anger", or anything to be ashamed of.

We always have the right to learn, question, evaluate, and make choices.

Why does Gerald react so dramatically when asked routine questions? Why is he lashing out?

[Piff]

Gerald Tall Tree I am of the Tsinaiijii Clan

· April 13, 2016 at 10:29am

Facebook comment on https://www.facebook.com/gerald.talltree

[Thunderbow]

[Irrelevant rant] Being small time, I had nothing to lose. My forum will go on, what I say in other forums remain valid. My website stays up with Gerald's assistance. It will stay Valid. My Forum will stay Valid! I do not care if you think I am Native or not. Many other Natives may get hurt because of this site. They can seek assistance in my forum.

Your argument is hollow [personal attacks removed] It has nothing to do with being Native, It has everything to do with, CONTROL, ANGER, and the "Ain't it awful" Game. It is sad to see this kind of stuff, but it is all to common. [empty bluster removed]

[Thunderbow]

When are accusations are routine questions? You know what you are doing. Card readings are common on the big rez, go there and see for yourself. Do I have to follow your definitions on what is Dine'.? You are ignorant.

[RedRightHand]

Gerald can't even get the most basic terminology right. The more he talks, the more he reveals himself as a fraud.

Gerald seems to have come here trying to get some more followers. Tragic that he has any, really.


_{[identifying ip data redacted]}

[Piff]

Gerald, you say that you are a Navajo Medicine Man of the Tsinaiijii Clan.

Those are very specific claims that involve community identifiers. These are not claims to be made in personal isolation.

Asking you who your people are (in response to your claims) is a normal, informed response. You may try to paint this as anger but you are incorrect.

Hey, maybe some of us know your people! That would be cool, right? Community would be shared.

The Navajo Nation is a real Nation with real people in it. They really have their own enrollment requirements and their own Nation to Nation relationship with the USA.

If I was Navajo I would have lots of experience talking about who my people are. I would enjoy talking about family and community, as a member.

If I had heritage but not enough to enroll, I would be upfront about that. I would not make any dishonest claims. I would work to be a good community member.

If I said I was Navajo but I was not, I would be lying. My lies would be horribly rude and disrespectful to The People & Nation I was misrepresenting.