George Price & Quaker Sweatlodge

[Defend the Sacred]

It's a pretendian sweat. Their claims that it's based on other cultures, or that it's "universal" are distractions and they know it. Those cultures don't have sweatlodges.

[Sparks]

Yes, but this is a different group. The original website was taken down after criticisms. Thread's been re titled.

This group is led by a George Price.

Isn't that the same George Price referred to here back in 2006, then?

Quoting from the long letter of complaint

"There are also native teachers who have worked quietly with devoted non-natives to find ways to share what is good in their traditions, because they think the underlying spirituality could be of benefit, even to us whites, if used respectfully."

"George Price’s article in the February 2002 Friends Journal, which explains how his native teachers led the early sweats at the Gathering, and then instructed him to continue them
By his own account, George has spent many years studying and working with such "authentic" native teachers."

"Clyde Bellacourt of the American Indian Movement, who also encouraged Price to continue the sweats, when Bellacourt visited the Gathering in 1989."

So here this guy has repeatedly pointed out that these traditions were learned from Native teachers.

Here is part of a comment about Chuck Fager and George Price made by a Quaker who attended the 2005 Gathering in Blacksburg, VA.

"Oh-- also last year, at the 2005 Gathering in Blacksburg, VA, Chuck Fager and George Price (George being the Friend who was blessed by an Native American elder to share the sweatlodge among Friends)-- Chuck and George convened their own session about the sweatlodge, which I attended a part of.

Some of what I heard there was another "take" on the history of what led up to FGC's decision to cancel the sweatlodge workshop... I remain VERY concerned for the "antagonistic" approach that was being modeled, rather than encouragement for listening together for the Truth in what each "camp" was presenting."

I don't think Mr. Fager is as naive and shocked as he would have people think he is. It has been several years since the sweat lodge was discontinued and this man still has the audacity to wage his whiny war on what he perceives as an entitlement. Mr. Fager ignores what is obvious to virtually all Indians, culture appropriation, and even asks us to to explain it to the poor dear.

And one more thing, who are these so called tribal elders that all these white people seem to know? They would have you think that there is one every corner. I noticed that they never give a name or tribal affiliation.

[RedRightHand]

The "Universal" "Quaker Sweat" with "Celtic, Edo, etc" influences [sic] is just the lie they put on their public facade. They know damn well they're pretendians, appropriators, exploiters. Once you get into their group, they admit they're ripping off Lakota people. Funnily, they even think they're ripping off the Cherokee. Actually, maybe they are. Who knows what those white freaks are getting up to under their plastic tarps. Hey ya.

In their Facebook group, George Price admits it's a pretendian sweat, that he's been leading for years, "based on Inipi", and tries to reassure someone looking for "a Native sweat" that they should check out his.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/quakersweat/

George Price wrote: "Ryan - our sweat is based on an inipi. I was trained by Native American teachers - both Cherokee and Lakota. We don't use a pipe but the form is similar. I have been leading sweats for 30 years." 19 March 2019  https://www.facebook.com/groups/quakersweat/permalink/2214850971871539/

And he signs his nuage posts, "Ho, mitakuye oyasin - to all my relations"  3 October 2018 https://www.facebook.com/groups/quakersweat/permalink/1998421943514444/

See attached screen shots if you can't access the posts.

[Sparks]

The topic of this thread was mentioned by a new member a few months ago, so I'll update here:

I'm involved with Quakers who I know don't have a great reputation in some circles. I had heard about the dreadful Quaker guy over in the USA who was running "Quaker Sweatlodge" and wouldn't stop even when asked, even before I found the thread here http://www.newagefraud.org/smf/index.php?topic=859.0. Also I have heard of Chuck Fager, who was a vocal supporter of the "sweatlodge guy" . Anyway, I hope Quakers over here in England are not all like those guys. I know a few Quakers in the USA by email so may be able to ask connections to find out something if Quakers over there are misbehaving still/again at any point.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/quakersweat/

That group is now private (closed) (410 members), and the only text visible as of today is exactly the same as shown in Smart Mule's first screenshot of March 27, 2019. Also quoted in extenso by educatedindian later the same day.

So I guess nothing has changed. "Business as usual"? — Or maybe not?:

http://www.quakersweat.org

That site is gone. Good thing we have quotes in the thread, telling us what it was about. Also, the site was preserved three times in 2008, here is the last one:

https://web.archive.org/web/20081119152255/http://www.quakersweat.org/

For the record (and for those interested in the development of things), I found two long discussions and comments from 2004 that are not mentioned here before:

https://kitenet.net/pipermail/sayma/2004-October.txt
https://www.quakerranter.org/we_quakers_should_be_cooler_th/