hello from a mishappen appalachian

[spacebatsquirreltoes]

hey yo'uns! I'm a nonbinary fellow who is kind of a dirtbag, baby. Most people call me Mo.(the ones who don't like me use more colorful nicknames.) I'm from southern Appalachia(Catawba and Cherokee land) but tend to travel around within the confines of the contrived us borders. I came here from googling Tiospaye, to see if I might be able to show up while I'm in the Durango area.

[Sparks]

I came here from googling Tiospaye, to see if I might be able to show up while I'm in the Durango area.

I found your other post in the "Tiospaye Durango, MakingRelatives.org, Della Romero" topic:

Yes, sometimes these groups have been picketed by Native activists. Sometimes there has been very direct, in-person, intervention to stop theses sorts of groups. Some of us here on this board have been involved in doing this over the decades.

Of course Indigenous people know they are frauds. It's only non-Natives who are fooled. It's actually very kind of the Native people who have stepped up to protect the nons who are being harmed.

It's not Indigenous people who are keeping these frauds in business. Yes, there are Native sellouts here and there that have allowed this to happen, but it's the fact non-Natives will pay for these fake teachings that keeps these scammers going. The thing is, there are so many of these frauds, and only so many of us who are willing to step up. It is hard, tiring work.

What generally happens with the groups that have lots of white followers and money, is they hold their events on private property. When Natives show up to protest, the workshop leaders and their white hosts call the cops. You know what is happening in America and Canada now when white people call the cops on Brown people.

Natives who have shown up to protest the theft of Indigenous ceremony have been assaulted by cops. They have been beaten and arrested for "trespassing". Just for showing up to talk to the frauds. The frauds have lied to the cops and claimed the Natives were drunk (they were not), they have claimed the Native protestors/protectors were violent (they were not). But guess who the white cops have believed?

There are events coming up this summer that will be protested, and and hopefully stopped. Every year some are chosen and targeted to be dealt with. But it's a matter of triage. There are way more white people who want to play Indian than there are people who can risk their lives and freedom to stop them.

What will you do to help stop it? Speaking up here is good. It is a great start, to help get the word out, and I thank you for that. But Natives are at very high risk for being murdered and imprisoned for doing this work. It can't all be on Natives. It also takes allies stepping up to stop exploiters, and to stop the many nuagers they know who line the exploiters pockets. Until that happens, these groups will continue to flourish.

Hello DefendtheSacred, my purpose in joining the forum was to ask how I may be able to show up and suport yall in person while I'm in Durango this summer. Not sure what exactly to say or ask except that.

Seems you got no response. What happened when you were in the Durango area last summer?