Aurelio Diaz "Tekpankalli"

[educatedindian]

Claims to be Purepecha. But his name seems to be Nahua/Aztec. There are reports he held sweats in England where participants were forced to take peyote and not allowed to leave the lodge.

Also a painter.
http://web.uccs.edu/library/el%20pomar%20art/tekpankalli.htm
"Tekpankalli is a Purepecha Indian from Michoacan, Mexico, where he was born August 4, 1954. Most of his work is in Chicago and Mexico City, but his murals have also appeared in National Geographic and Américas Magazine.... The artist, Tekpankalli, was married to a former CU-CS student, Virginia Alvarado (deceased)....
Today Mr. Tekpankalli lives in Michoacan, Mexico, and is no longer doing any painting. He travels all over the world, conducting ceremonies with indigenous and non-indigenous peoples and focusing his energies on the Peace and Dignity Movement. This movement is based on the Prophecy of the Eagle and the Condor in which the Native Nations reunite as one. Tekpankalli is the spiritual chief (Roadman) of the Native Church (Sacred Fireplace) of Itzachilatlan and President of the Condor and Eagle Confederation. He is also a Sun Dance Chief ordained within the Lakota Territories of the Rosebud Sioux"

Listed by an NAC site
http://www.utah-nac.org/nacindex.html
Native American Church of Itzachilatlan and the Western Hemisphere and Affiliates
         Aurelio Tekpankalli Diaz
         9726 S Hickory Crest Palos Hills Illinois 60465
         (719) 256-5155
         Aurelio T. Diaz, President
        (708) 599-4599
         Leticia Zavala, Secretary/Treas.

Works with other questionable characters and outright frauds, plus some I don't know about.
http://www.siberianshamanism.com/inglese/1997report.html
"THE CIRCLE OF  UNITED TRADITIONS
In the month of March 1997 we received the information that Nadia Stepanova and Where the Eagles Fly had been invited to an interreligious meeting organized by Lama Denys at Karmaling in France during the visit of H.H. the Dalai Lama.... Immediately we saw some well-known faces: they were the representatives of Tuva, a Siberian republic of shamanic faith adjacent to Buryatia. Kantchyyr-ool, President of the Tuvinian shamans, had met Costanzo Allione in Tuva....
During our meeting in France the Bonpo had words of high recognition for Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche....
Nadia Stepanova explained that she was the first person after Perestrojka who had the courage to announce publicly she was a shaman....
The two Mexican representatives, Aurelio Diaz Tekpankali from the Purupeska tradition and the elder Tlakaelel of the Atzec tradition, explained that only five years ago they obtained freedom to practice their own religion. They had been persecuted for five hundred years !
The Bonpo explained that they are the representatives of the traditional religion of Tibet that derived from the mythical reign of Shang Shung, whose existance many Tibetan question, but in which the Bonpo firmly believe .
A very moving testimony came from Dick Leichletner, President of the Papuan Council, a native Australian, he spoke of the law of the white man that in his country has replaced the original law of his people, one of the most ancient people on earth....
Since the first day a very warm communication arose between Nadia Stepanova and the North American delegation. Historically the American "Indians" could have arrived to America from Siberia passing by the Bering Straits or viceversa as explained, Morgan Eagle Bear, great grandson of Geronimo from the Apache Nation....
Other very moving presences at the meeting were two elders from Canada and Alaska: Grandmother Anna Haala, of the Tlinquit Nation and Grand Mother Sarah Smith of the Mohawk Nation....
Tlakaelel performed his ritual from the Aztec tradition: the Medicine Wheel....Sparky Shooting Star helped us to understand the rituals that Mary Thunder and Chief Jeffrey Hubbel performed during the meeting.
Another participant at the meeting was Don Hilario Chiriap of the Shiuar tradition who was born and grew up in the Amazon jungle of Equador. Together with his "brother" Aurelio Tekpankalli he performed a beautiful ritual.... Nadia Stepanova suggested that each delegation of the Circle could write a list of the power places and holy sites that belong to their tradition to publish a world map of these holy places."

[piya]

It seems this guy is associated with a group here in the UK called " Red Path ".

I have been looking into them for a while after Ric sent me some details.

Seems they operate around Glastenbury and in Wales, unfortunately I have been unable to get any response from them as to meetings etc.

The group, seems to be run by a Claire Edwards (Pipe Council), Fiona Shaw who conducts the Sweats and a Michael ? who conducts other ceromonies.

Apparently Aurelio was due to be in England for ceromonies on the 11th March at a field in Somerset, again I could not get access to details so I could pay them a visit.

However they ste that:

One of the prayers of Aurelio and the Vision Council is that of an alliance with the tradition of the Santo Daime. If you are interested in Santo Daime works then contact Rex and Alaea beijaflor@supanet.com 01792 371421. Over 14th-16th October they will be hosting a weekend of spiritual works in Wales with Padrinho Paolo Roberto from Brasil.


If anyone has more info on this group please post the details or let me know.

Steve

[AndreasWinsnes]

When I was a newbie, I unfortunately attended a Peyote-sweat lodge with John Tindall who has a herbal medicine shop in London. He cooperates with Aurelio. A friend of Tindall told me that he had been forced to stay within the lodge even when he panicked and wanted to get out. Here is a link:

http://www.yuantmc.co.uk/healing/temcamp.htm

If I remember correctly, ? friends of Tindall said that he had done the Sun Dance, and done the hooks... without being prepared, so he ended up in quite a bit of pain. I wonder how he was allowed to do this. ?  

Aurelio, Tindall and Vincente was building a center in Spain the last time I heard, and they have a project teaching acupuncture and Qi Gond to a tribe in Columbia.

I apologize for attending a sweat lodge without cheking out of if this was proper for a non-native.

[piya]

I followed the link, to the telephone number. Gave them a call, only to find an answer machine.

I left a message saying who I was, with my number, and I would like to attend.

Somehow I don't expect a reply, but you know, I have some spare time, so I think I will go and visit. Anyone in the UK wanna come along

[AndreasWinsnes]

I have lost Tindall's address, but found it on the Inernet:


The Green Healer ?
7A Clapham High Street
London
SW4 7TS
tel: 020 7720 8181

Registered PRACTITIONERS, TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE Herbs Acupuncture Massage, HERBAL PHARMACY Genuine, Lab Examined Chinese Herbs, YUAN CLINIC - John Tindall - Hepatitis C HERBALIST

Ask him what he thinks of giving Peyote to children or lying to the police if one gets caught. If you talk to him, please say hello from me.

Is it justifiable to write the above on a public web page? I have thought a lot about this question. I don't want to be a snitch. Some harnerists may object that Tindall showed me confidence, and now I betray it. But he invited me and a friend not only to partake in the sweat lodge, but also to talk about arranging ceremonies in Norway. So we traveled from Norway to London, used about 300 pounds each as I remember, but we never got a chance to talk to Tindall because he traveled to Sweden after the sweat. So much for confidence...

I decided to tell this story after I read that several people have died because of sweat lodges arranged by incompent persons. Not doing so, would have been unethical.

[piya]

I have heard back from the Yuan Clinic in London, Tindall's secretary says I should call him at his Spanish home where he is at the moment. ( Seems his job!, pays well ), and talk with him about the Native American Sweat. If anyone would like to call him I have the number.

The fact is this is a definate fraud, and if peyote or any other halocegenic substances are used, this is most definately DANGEROUS.

Maybe John Tindall should be put under the fraud section now.

[Cetan]

I remember hearing about him a while ago - He was supposedly the intercessor at a Sundance in southern Illinois where from what I've heard from very reputable sources many strange things were happening.  I also heard that his wife died after he put her out on a "vision Quest" in Mexico for 7 or 10 days.  He clained to have been taught about the NAC by a relative of mine but my relation says he only met him a few times and he has no business feeding anyone medicine

[Bryant]

I am just now browsing the website of this siberianshamanism.com site and I am already seeing little red flags. First of all, as far as I am concerned, anything that involves the Dalai Lama is suspect from the gitgo.

The first thing I noticed was that one of the VIP's of shamanlandia worldwide is Ani Choying Drolma - who, I am sure is a nice lady, and I know she is a lamanist nun, but she is mainly known for her CD's which are a mainstay of newage world music for neoshamianism buffs. She never set out to be any sort of a self promoter. She just happened to be one of the singing nuns at a lamanist nunnery when a western guitar player with a new idea for a world music project showed up and recorded her and her sister nuns there, and then he added some guitar riffs to it, and a rythm section or whatever, and the rest is show business history. So, the point is that they seem to be more interested in fluff than in substance with choices like that.

Another thing that has me a little confused is what are these Bonpo doing there since it should be clear that they cannot stand the Dalai Lama and, according the the Trimondi's, they would not be shy about saying so. They consider the lamanists to be nothing but brutal oppressors who subjected them to centuries of persecution, having rose to power as quislings of the Chinese.

I stumbled onto these seeming contradictions just at a glance. I am not through!

Bryant

[Bryant]

Looking through this website, I can see that there is a collection of people from different cultures who likely do not have the wherewithal to see that could be used as props, sort of, in the hands of the organizers of these events wherein whatever they are doing or represent is coopted and fit into something that has little to do with their own activities or desires. I also think that, in the case of some of the Asian shamans who are part of this - these people, because of the various eras of persecution - have lost parts of their roots, and in seeking to find them, they are getting way too much input from outsiders who are influenced by newage paradigms. So you might have someone who was born into a shaman family, but received no training, and now they are searching around to find their roots in ways that at times just do not suit them very well, it seems.

[Bryant]

La Ley de Cultos, dictada en 1937, no se ha reformado y ha permitido la calificación de los más disímiles grupos religiosos. Por ello es que entre el ministro de Gobierno y la Conferencia Episcopal Ecuatoriana se han cruzado sendos proyectos de reglamento a la Ley de Cultos. Hasta que este instrumento legal no esté aprobado se habría detenido cualquier trámite o solicitud de nuevas iglesias y cultos, aunque oficialmente se dice que las carpetas continúan en estudio. La última en ser aprobada fue la Iglesia Nativa Americana de Itzachilatlan del Ecuador. Este grupo religioso agrupa a los llamados shamanes, que ofician los ritos indígenas de curación y adoración a la naturaleza. Tiene sedes en los países andinos, en México, Centroamérica y Estados Unidos. http://www.sectas.org.ar/ecuador.html

The Law of Cults, dictated in 1937, has not been ammended and has permitted the qualification (legalization) of the most disparate religious groups. Because of that, between the Government and the Equadorial Bishops COnference they have crossed paths with weighty projects of rulesmaking regarding the Law of Cults. Until this legal instrument is approved they should have held up whatever solicitation or application of new churches and cults , although officially they say that the files are still being studied. The last to have been apporved was the Native American Church of Itzachilatlan of Eduardor. This religious group groups together the so-caled shamans who condunt the indigenous rites of healing and nature worship. It has centers in the Andean countries, in Mexico, Central America, and the United States.

*****************
By the way - and correct me if I am wrong - but the Native American Church is a bible based religion, is it not?

[Bryant]

this guy is connected with a bunch of idiots with made up names and declarations about them being sort of the world spokesmen for indigenous people worldwide, and they carry on about the Aztec religion and Aztlan, try to act like they believe that everyone is set on using the Aztec calender for now on, and other stuff which amunts to sort of like a catalog of favorite neomexican newage staples. The thing that really nailed it for me was when they were taking about the connection between what they claim is an Aztec rite and the Cinco de Mayo celebration. It is sort of shocking that they actually passed themselves off as official representatives of the "Indian Nation" of the entire Americas in a session of the UN, and then went on to tout their brief speech as an official document of the UN now, as if that somehow gives them the imprimatur of that organization.

Besides that matter, I would like you all to take a look at this and tell me if this is not unabashed newagerism:
**************************
Ehecatl
El Viento de Aztlan
Primavera Xihuitl Nahui Acatl Spring
2003

Indigenous Peoples Peace Initiative
Year 4 Reed, Day Two Crocodile
Wednesday, March 12, 2003

Izkalotlan, Aztlan

Emerging from a three day traditional gathering of Indigenous Nations and Pueblos, a legation of Indigenous Peoples initiated today a global Indigenous Peoples Peace Initiative intended to restore the principles of yectlamatcayetoliztli (PEACE) as a mandate of humanity from the future generations. The proclamation was made from the NAHUACALLI, Embassy of the Indigenous Peoples located in Phoenix, Arizona.
************************************************
*Embassy of the Indigenous Nations and Pueblos* ?!! What kind of pretentious crap is that?

Let me mention one thing. I know a lot of Nahua speaking Indians, and they have no use for newagers thinking that they are somehow reviving the culture of their ancestors or claiming that it has survived secretly somehow. It is lost, and there is no chance of reviving it other than by way of forming folk dancing groups and such, because their religion has completely disappeared. In addition, the pretend religion that they are erecting in its stead is simply a hodgepodge of new age notions staubed onto a hollywood style vision of indianism - sort of an aztlan orientalism.

[educatedindian]

That embassy is about five minutes walk from where I used to live in Phoenix. They seemed a fairly serious and dedicated group to me. They held fundraisers and sponsored speakers having to do with Chiapas, NDNs facing violence in Colombia, Peru, etc. Never met them, but some of the local NDN activists sometimes worked with them. They gave themselves Nahua (or what they thought were Nahua) names, but then again I've had Mexican students whose parents named them Xochiquetzal or Cuahtemoc. I'll take that over Mexican kids named Tiffany and Trevor any day. (Yes, I've met those too.)
It seems to me much more in line with Mexican nationalism that assumes Aztecs are stand ins for all NDNs or even all Mexicans.

[debbieredbear]

Bryant asked:

By the way - and correct me if I am wrong - but the Native American Church is a bible based religion, is it not?

Some are some aren't. I know a Roadman who is Christian, but his wife isn't. They both belong to the NAC.  I think probably half NAC members are Christian and half aren't. I have been to both kinds of meetings. One led by a Christian and one led by a non-Christian.

[Cante]

By the way - and correct me if I am wrong - but the Native American Church is a bible based religion, is it not?

There are two types of ceremonies, the Half-Moon and the Cross-Fire (or Big-Moon). The Cross-Fire has elements of the bible, the Half-Moon doesn't... But the Half-Moon is the more common of the two.

btw - IMO, Aurelio Diaz is another scammer. This is how he introduced himself in a speech: "President of the American Native Church of Itzachilatlan, heir of several native traditions of Mexico Canada and the USA" How can you be "heir" to several traditions across three countries?

[AndreasWinsnes]

Found this link on a discusion board:

http://ayahuasca.tribe.net/m/thread/83fe6a40-ab8a-4a8d-a7f9-438ef5045265


One member of this forum writes:

These are his own words. It makes no sense to me how he can be "heir" to traditions in three different countries:

"President of the American Native Church of Itzachilatlan
heir of several native traditions of Mexico Canada and the USA

Our ceremonies use, by their divine and sacred character, plants like the Ayahuasca, the Cocaine Leaf, certain Fungi and the Peyote. These are used in ceremonies to pray to the Creator, the Great Spirit and the grandfathers, with a sacred Fire and a Cane, with Pens of Eagle, a fan, one sonaja, a drum, with incense of cedar, salvia, sweet and copal grass. Our altars are sacred spaces that have been consecrated to be used spiritual and medicinally."

This is from a relative of the person he supposedly got his NAC Fireplace from:

"I remember hearing about him a while ago - He was supposedly the intercessor at a Sundance in southern Illinois where from what I've heard from very reputable sources many strange things were happening. I also heard that his wife died after he put her out on a "vision Quest" in Mexico for 7 or 10 days. He claimed to have been taught about the NAC by a relative of mine but my relation says he only met him a few times and he has no business feeding anyone medicine"

the problem with carrying all those traditions (NAC, Seven Rites of the Lakota, Daime, Ayahuasca, Velada, etc), that he claims to be heir to, is that each one takes a =major= commitment. How does one find the time, and give the proper respect, to study each of these ways? Praying behind the Canupa and carrying that pipe for the people (he claims to be a pipe carrier) takes daily practice and is a life long commitment. You aren't just gifted with a pipe and told to go pray with it, there are many ceremonies you must learn in order to hold it in a proper manner. And as my Lakota Elders tell me, you must also know the language. People can, and will, get hurt when American Indian ceremonies are not conducted in the proper manner.

btw - I just found a mural of a NAC ceremony that he painted for his "NAC of Itzachilatlan." In the painting the ceremony is being conducted improperly (the Water Drum carrier is on the wrong side of the person singing).

Another link. Scroll down a bit and they start to discuss Diaz:

http://tribes.tribe.net/vegetalismo/thread/ce3fc936-b047-4521-be42-fd275058bb38


This post is from the same person quoted above:

Aurelio Diaz Tekpankalli is supposably a Roadman in the NAC, a Sun Dance Intercessor, Pipe Carrier, and holds Inipi's with Peyote. Quite a mixture if you ask me. It's also not clear if he lives in Mexico or Chicago. He claims to be Purepecha, but his name seems to be Nahua/Aztec (so how did he become a Roadman and Pipe Carrier?). Here's a post from a relative of someone who Aurelio claims to have gotten his Fireplace from:

"I remember hearing about him a while ago - He was supposedly the intercessor at a Sundance in southern Illinois where from what I've heard from very reputable sources many strange things were happening. I also heard that his wife died after he put her out on a "vision Quest" in Mexico for 7 or 10 days. He claimed to have been taught about the NAC by a relative of mine but my relation says he only met him a few times and he has no business feeding anyone medicine"

Here's a quote from a spiritual meeting that happened in France:
"The two Mexican representatives, Aurelio Diaz Tekpankali from the Purupeska tradition and the elder Tlakaelel of the Atzec tradition, explained that only five years ago they obtained freedom to practice their own religion. They had been persecuted for five hundred years!"

"Another participant at the meeting was Don Hilario Chiriap of the Shiuar tradition who was born and grew up in the Amazon jungle of Equador. Together with his "brother" Aurelio Tekpankalli he performed a beautiful ritual."

Here's a quote from a speech he gave to the COMMISSION OF HUMAN RIGHTS OF THE O.N.U. (whatever that is):

By: AURELIO DIAS TEPANKALI
* President of the American Native Church of Itzachilatlan
heir of several native traditions of Mexico Canada and the USA <<<< WTF is that? Heir to "several" traditions?

"Our ceremonies use, by their divine and sacred character, plants like the Ayahuasca, the Cocaine Leaf, certain Fungi and the Peyote. These are used in ceremonies to pray to the Creator, the Great Spirit and the grandfathers, with a sacred Fire and a Cane, with Pens of Eagle, a fan, one sonaja, a drum, with incense of cedar, salvia, sweet and copal grass. Our altars are sacred spaces that have been consecrated to be used spiritual and medicinally.

In our altars ceremonies are made to bless marriages, ceremonies to give name to people, to adopt people, to make the velatorios and the funerales. Also the Baths of Purification, the Dances of the Sun are part of our espiritualidad,
Dances to the Spirits, the encounter with the Fire, the Search of Visions, the Ceremonies of the Pipe, Amarre de Cañas, the Tribute to the Mother Earth, the Memory of Our Ancestors, the Tobacco Offering, the Affirmation of Relations of Friendship and Brotherhood between the Towns. "

Another member of this forum writes:

Yeah, he does seem to care (as most plastic shaman do). But I'm not really sure if I trust him. This says a lot to me: "President of the American Native Church of Itzachilatlan - heir of several native traditions of Mexico Canada and the USA". Several traditions? From all over the continent? How do you become an heir to all these things? Plus the fact that he listed all these ceremonies and medicines in reference to the Purepecha tradition. The Purepecha, or Tarasco, were wiped out by the Spanish hundreds of years ago. How did they retain, or relearn, this knowledge? To me it seems like he's trying to mix everything on the continent into whatever his vision is...