It's happening in Australia too.
http://www.aotearoa.maori.nz/forums/viewtopic.php?p=16947"Last weekend I took a friend from overseas to the Mind Body Spirit Festival that runs in Sydney, Australia Nov 17-20th. As those who know me, know well my 'love' for New Agers who are self-appointed experts and instructors on native/indigenous cultures and spiritualities.
So I popped up to a free seminar that was advertised on Sunday, advertised as:
"Xantor Weinberg - The Land of the Aboriginals - Xantor will connect you to Aboriginal spirits that will teach you the wisdom of the land. This is a perfect opportunity to better understand the land you live in."
Now after this seminar I am "educated" on the "Aboriginal Peoples of Australia" : The Aborigine are all dead. There are some left over (maybe not real ones if they're all dead) whom Xantor doesn't know, or recall their names - but who he has met. Although he is an German guy who has been in this country for two years only. He knows all about Aboriginal Spirits. With assumptions that all Aborigines are the same, and connect witht the "Great Spriit" he can through a guided meditation with a predominantly white audience get you your own personal aboriginal guide who will then connect you with the land .
I challenged him in the question period as to why the aboriginals who were genocided in this region of the country, would in their dead state want to be at the beck and call of white folk, (sitting in the comfort of a seminar room, in the Darling Harbour convention centre in the middle of Sydney.?
Xantor thinks they are 'over' and need humans like himself to have purpose.
Xantor who thinks he was an Aborigine in the past life, not that he knows which clan, what he was called - and frankly doesn't seem to know anything about Aboriginal history or culture. Was a mildly put out when I asked what Aboriginal community or people would endorse or validate what he had to say. He thought it irrelevant.
If the guy was speaking about Maori spirits I would of gone for the guys throat. I challenged him on the basis that he was telling a lot of b.s.
I am reprinting a 'spotter' I made a few years back:
.
WHAT ARE THE COMMON TRAITS OF THOSE WHO EXPLOIT NATIVE SPIRITUALITY?
One, who sets himself up as an expert on indigenous spirituality, misrepresents and reinvents that spirituality claiming that his interpretation is authentic.
One who makes a claim of a Native identity that incorporates no learning, living of or contribution to that culture. Further more has no marginal or recognised tribal or family knowledge, affliation or genetic heritage.
Or who makes false claims to a heritage not his own. Or believes they were a native in a past life.
One who makes assumptions that there is a Pan_Native. I.E that there is one Native American religion, one M?ori religion, one Aboriginal' etc etc. Making the assumptions that there is one culture or one spirituality when in reality indigenous people have unique and diverse identities, cultures and spiritualities tied to their land, heritage, family and tribe.
One who indiscriminatly makes use of native symbolism and tribal rituals without permission. And furthermore without really understanding them. (Usually apparent with those who engage in a smorgensboard approach to spirituality taking bits and pieces form different tribes and mixing them with other spiritual practises or religion, for example: Buddhism, Wicca, Yoga, Paranormal etc. Which is than passed off as "Native religion or ways".)
One who promotes disinformation of what constitutes the spirituality of a particular tribe or people on a wide enough scale sufficient to make people not recognise what is or is not true. Even when stated otherwise from the correct and appropriate authorities of those people.
One who exploits a demand for 'native spirituality', extensively markets their limited knowledge, offer paid workshops for gains obtained in profit and prestige.
One who takes on un-due honours of a tribe or people not there own.
One who appropriates indigenous ceremonies for gain, for example: pipe ceremonies, sweatlodges, vision quests, Indian chanting, medicine circles, tohi and pure rites."
