Glenn Schiffman - Western Gate Roots and Wings

[Sandy S]

This branches from the thread Miguel Rivera, Minnesota Mens Conference http://www.newagefraud.org/smf/index.php?topic=5696.msg49317#msg49317

Raised in a border town of the Cattauraugus Seneca Indian Reservation where his father was chaplain at the Indian school, Glenn Schiffman has lived around American Indians all of his life. He has Vision-Fasted 12 times, sat in on numerous traditional healing ceremonies, has been a fire keeper at 15 Sun Dances and danced in 8 others. Since 2010 he's been a Pipe-Keeper of a traditional Sun Dance on the Pine Ridge Reservation.

Glenn was a co-founder of Western Gate Roots and Wings Foundation, a non-profit which counsels youth, uninitiated adult men and returning veterans in collaboration with Native Elders and counselors at Home Boys Industries. His academic degrees include a BA in History from Knox College, an MFA in Creative Writing from San Francisco State, and a Masters in Spiritual Counseling from the University of Santa Monica.

At the time of this Amazon bio he is said to live in Flathead Valley, Montana.

https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B00JKVH3JG/about

[Sandy S]

Glenn Joy Schiffman was born 5 February 1943. Scranton, Lackawanna, Pennsylvania.

Raised in a border town of the Cattauraugus Seneca Indian Reservation where his father was chaplain at the Indian schoo

His father was Merl Schiffman. I found his memoirs online and will read through.

Is Glen Schiffman claiming that his father was a chaplain at the Thomas Asylum of Orphan and Destitute Indian Children? If so, that is certainly nothing to boast about.

[fairbanks]

I'm not finding anything yet myself reading through the memoir. It seems likely though considering he mentions indian school and orphanage. I cant imagine there were many other than Thomas Indian school. Reading more about it here...

https://jfepublications.org/article/the-thomas-indian-school/

[Sandy S]

I'm not finding anything yet myself reading through the memoir. It seems likely though considering he mentions indian school and orphanage. I cant imagine there were many other than Thomas Indian school. Reading more about it here...

https://jfepublications.org/article/the-thomas-indian-school/

I read the memoirs too. Merl Schiffman is detailed about his work life as a chaplain at various places, no mention of an "Indian school and orphanage" at all. He worked at a different institution altogether.

Glenn Schifffman is a fantabulist. He says he writes "autobiographical fiction" to protect identities but really his creative writing is much much more on the fictional side.

Note in his father Merle Schiffman's memoirs:

Glenn received Frequent Flyer coupons from Joel to go to a Conference of "Peace Elders" at the Seneca reservation in Brandt, New York.

I believe this is where Glenn began his career as a self styled expert.

Search this NAFPS forum http://www.newagefraud.org/smf/index.php for "Twyla" and "peace elders" to learn background on those conferences.

Thank you fairbanks for bringing Glenn Schiffman to our attention.

[Sandy S]

In my opinion Glenn Joy Schiffman is a fraud.

Glenn Schiffman and his wife Barbara are creative writers https://literasee.com/about

Barbara Schiffman is also a new age life coach https://yoursoulsupport.com/about

Glenn Schiffman says he writes "autobiographical fiction", supposedly to protect identities. But his work is actually much much more fiction than truth.

The 1970s Rock'n'Roll Road is paved with myths and stories. Some of them are mine. In this fictional autobiography, events and names are often changed for privacy, but much of it is mostly true...

https://www.amazon.com/Life-Fast-Lane-Truckin-RocknRoll/dp/B0CFT7G9J3

These stories have been compiled, rethought and retold by Glenn Schiffman, a specialist in Native American myths and spirituality.

His father was chaplain at the Cattaraugus Seneca Reservation Indian School in upstate NY, so Glenn has lived around and with American Indians since he was a boy.

https://www.amazon.com/Seasons-Around-Medicine-Wheel-Coloring/dp/1530670675/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=1QI6K&content-id=amzn1.sym.f76d456a-cb0d-44de-b7b0-670c26ce80ba&pf_rd_p=f76d456a-cb0d-44de-b7b0-670c26ce80ba&pf_rd_r=140-6026961-5715151&pd_rd_wg=kSmLQ&pd_rd_r=3ffa352a-6569-4d6e-bbdf-716c21a815fd&ref_=aufs_ap_sc_dsk

Living "around and with American Indians" wouldn't give him any actual special authority. I don't see any sign that he lived "around and with".

His father Merl Schiffman's memoirs can be accessed through Glenn's brother Harold F Schiffman's website http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/frenfam.html Harold F Schiffman is a linguist  http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/ and does not make the same claims Glenn does.

I read Merl Schiffman's memoirs. He details his work life as a chaplain at various places. There is no mention of him working at the "Cattaraugus Seneca Reservation Indian School" as his son Glenn claims. In fact Merle Schiffman writes of working at a completely different institution. Merl Schiffman does not relate remiminsices of "living with" local Seneca tribal members at all.

[Sandy S]

This is ridiculous. Glenn Schiffman is a non-native white guy who makes b.s. up:

Glenn Schiffman has lived around or with American Indians all of his life. He has Vision-Fasted 12 times, participated in numerous traditional healing ceremonies, been a fire keeper at 15 Sun Dances and danced in 8 others. Since 2010 he's been a Pipe-Keeper of a traditional Sun Dance on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.

Glenn has built more than 100 sweat lodges in all regions of the US and has personally conducted over 1000 Inipi ("sweat lodge") ceremonies. He has been interviewed by news organizations including CNN, and appeared in TV docu-dramas about Native American lore. He also served as the Go-Between on a documentary about the dance by Arapaho to celebrate the 1994 release of wolves into Yellowstone National Park.

https://www.amazon.com/Way-I-Was-Taught/dp/1499183356

His self published book The Way I Was Taught is complete fiction. Yet he coyly pretends that it is based on fact.

I'm pasting this whole bit in because it looks to be Glenn Schiffman's self created origin myth:

“The Way I Was Taught” is a coming-of-age story set in rural 1950’s America in which a white, ten-year old, preacher’s son, dealing with a severe emotional trauma, follows a path to recovery and “Well-Being” given him by the traditional teachings of neighboring American Indian Elders. It dramatizes the contrast, through the eyes this boy, between Christian ways and traditional Seneca ways.

Halfway through his "eleventh walk around the sun,” Hunter Koenig was nearly killed by a bull which caused his mother to have a miscarriage. As she spent a year recovering, in Hunter’s mind the accident was his fault, as was his parents' subsequent divorce. His custody was granted to his father, a chaplain on an Indian Reservation in Upstate New York.

Hunter was sent to live at the reservation orphanage where he was ridiculed and called a coward. Orphanage cook Minnie One Knife took him home to live with her father and grandsons. Over the next two years, the love and teachings Hunt received from Gramma Minnie and Great-Grampa Haksot, along with some profound dreams which bonded him even more closelyl with the Indians, restored him to “wellness.” He was ultimately sent back to live with his mother after being "doctored" by a medicine man and shown his "reason for being": to be a bridge between the world of his family and the Native American "Earth People."

Glenn's parents did not divorce, his father did not appear to work at the "reservation orphanage".

Glenn has written a pretendian fantasy here. Including the common claim of being a special "bridge". Quite a few frauds researched here on NAFPS claim they are special bridges.

[fairbanks]

Note in his father Merle Schiffman's memoirs:

Glenn received Frequent Flyer coupons from Joel to go to a Conference of "Peace Elders" at the Seneca reservation in Brandt, New York.

I believe this is where Glenn began his career as a self styled expert.

Search this NAFPS forum http://www.newagefraud.org/smf/index.php for "Twyla" and "peace elders" to learn background on those conferences.

Thank you fairbanks for bringing Glenn Schiffman to our attention.

Is the Peace Elders conference from Twyla Nitsch?

[Sandy S]

Fairbanks, yes this would be the Peace Elders conference from Twyla Nitsch.

The title matches, the location and general time matches.

I believe this is Glenn Schiffman's source material, the first conference he went to. He's been in the pretendian new age mix ever since then. All embellished by his fictional creative writing that he calls "autobiographical fiction".

[Sandy S]

Glenn Joy Schiffman is full of manure.

The Eastern Woodland Native American people were the originators of Thanksgiving. Glenn Schiffman is one of the leading experts on this lore and is one of a handful of white people privileged and allowed to perform this ceremony. He will be using the thousand year old prayer of the Seneca Native Americans that is used for all the major celebrations.

https://pasadenanow.com/main/unity-of-pasadena-presents-native-american-fire-ceremony-on-sunday-november-10th

[Sandy S]

In the 2022 book "The Wolf Connection, What Wolves Can Teach Us about Being Human" by Teo Alfero - this is how Glenn Schiffman is identified (apparently self identified in an interview) : "Glenn Schiffman, an Iroquois wolf clan elder".

Glenn Schiffman is thanked in 2012 book "Dancing with the Wheel" by Sun Bear, Wabun Wind, Crysalis Mulligan for being an organizer of Medicine Wheel Gatherings.

Search here http://www.newagefraud.org/smf/index.php for info on Sun Bear/Vincent Laduke

Schiffman claims: "two years creating content about Native American history for IBM's EduQuest division".

[fairbanks]

Ahh yes, Glenn Schiffman, the great Iroquois wolf clan elder! 

[Sparks]

In the 2022 book "The Wolf Connection, What Wolves Can Teach Us about Being Human" by Teo Alfero - this is how Glenn Schiffman is identified (apparently self identified in an interview):
"Glenn Schiffman, an Iroquois wolf clan elder".

I just started a new topic about Teo Alfero:

http://www.newagefraud.org/smf/index.php?topic=5698.0 [Teo Alfero - Castaneda disciple - very active]