NAFPS Forum
General => Research Needed => Topic started by: suyapiGrrl on August 28, 2009, 07:23:21 pm
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Robert and Terri Lynn Tall Tree travel around as "Professional Speakers, Native American Storytellers and International Recording Artists."
They charge a LOT of money to visit schools with their presentations, sometimes requiring schools to purchase their books and materials and to do press releases and advertisement.
On the website,Robert, is described as "A direct descendent of Black Elk of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Mount Pleasant, Michigan" and the "former elected Chief of the Lone Feather Indian Council of Colorado Springs."
On the other hand, "Terri is not Native by blood but has been adopted into the Chippewa Nation..." and was "traditionally trained inLakota philosophy and ceremony and permittedby the elders to use what she learned to teachothers in her career field."Terri Lynn claims no tribal ancestry but dons a buckskin dress and accessories, long braids, etc."
According to the website, "TallTree admits he does not perceive what he does as work."
But he is getting paid.
http://thetalltrees.com/
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-186381480177110493&ei=0iaYSvZIhLCsA9-aqcwL&q=TheTallTrees
www.wellbrietyindiancenter.org/documents/08Aug.pdf
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I couldn't find anything on the site about selling ceremony or spirituality.
It looks like personal development/motivational education programs in American Indian wrapping paper to me. Plus they call them performances. Education via performance. A very effective education method. If there is a congruency between the cultural background of the performer and the personal development/motivational material they are presenting, is there anything wrong with using the dress, music, stories of that culture as a part of the program? It felt a bit over the top and theatric to me but I bet it works great for kids and teens. In fact I wonder what would happen if they presented to corporate "suits". Would casual friday become "buckskin friday"? ;D
As far as Talltree admiting he does not percieve it as work, that's just motivational speaker code for "I love my job"
ln order to know if the charges were excessive, you'd have to compare it to what other programs (personal development/motivation, not American Indian) cost. There is a market for these programs with schools and companies, and the charges are high. It's an industry in itself.
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Anyone heard of Chief Robert TallTree
Life Trainer/Spiritual Coach/Teacher trainer/student assembly/key note speaker/
native flutist/consultant/vocalist.
out of Colorado;
http://thetalltrees.com/
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after checking it out he does not sell ceremonies
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Merged it with a very old thread.
I don't see any sign of ceremony selling either. Mostly motivational speaking. Some of those quotes I have my doubts about, sound like they were taken from books attributing them to generic Indians.
One thing's unclear, he claims to be descended from a famous Anishnaabe. Here he also claims to be Apache.
https://plus.google.com/108308272935659785721#108308272935659785721/posts
But here he seems to have led a Shawnee heritage group calling itself a tribe. Perhaps two Robert Tall Trees?
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http://www.tagged.com/talltreetribepiquashawneeturtle
Description:Osiyo, Aho, welcome. We are a Native American Tribe organized in 2006. Family/Friend oriented. Living and carrying on the dream of it's name sake. "Robert Tall Tree Lent , Etwaywa - Man Who Walks Among Tall Trees". We are Multi-tribal and membership is free. We honor all Native Americans , and all non-Native Americans, who wish to join, who believe in and want to live in the Native American and Great Creator's eyes.
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Robert Talltree's brother is the artist Ruben Blackcloud, their mother is listed as Indian in Saginaw Michigan US federal 1940 census, through her father. Her brother's obit http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=FIS&GSpartial=1&GSbyrel=all&GSst=24&GScntry=4&GSsr=2681&GRid=52466880& (http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=FIS&GSpartial=1&GSbyrel=all&GSst=24&GScntry=4&GSsr=2681&GRid=52466880&)
Don't know yet if his lineage claim is correct:
One question that we get from time to time is “Are you really Indian?” Robert is a direct lineal descendent of Black Elk (Chippewa). He is of Chippewa/Ojibwe and Apache heritage.
http://thetalltrees.com/red-white-yellow-black.html (http://thetalltrees.com/red-white-yellow-black.html)
The Tall Tree group in Ohio looks to be someone else, don't know for sure either way.
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http://americanindianwisdom.com/ (http://americanindianwisdom.com/)
http://americanindianwisdom.com/abouttalltree/ (http://americanindianwisdom.com/abouttalltree/)
Pipe ceremony (no money involved) http://books.google.com/books?id=jFmPtH8qrm4C&pg=PA63&lpg=PA63&dq=%22robert+talltree%22+ceremony&source=bl&ots=fT807PV-1k&sig=PcuiDEhRzfQmzI8Zvm3JxPJWSd8&hl=en&sa=X&ei=PlxLUaDvCs6VjALKj4GQDA&ved=0CEMQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=%22robert%20talltree%22%20ceremony&f=false (http://books.google.com/books?id=jFmPtH8qrm4C&pg=PA63&lpg=PA63&dq=%22robert+talltree%22+ceremony&source=bl&ots=fT807PV-1k&sig=PcuiDEhRzfQmzI8Zvm3JxPJWSd8&hl=en&sa=X&ei=PlxLUaDvCs6VjALKj4GQDA&ved=0CEMQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=%22robert%20talltree%22%20ceremony&f=false)
Referred to as an "Objibwa Indian spiritual leader" by someone who then went on to create "The Way of the Medicine Wheel" http://medicinewheelmesas.com/index.html (http://medicinewheelmesas.com/index.html)
http://books.google.com/books?id=CKdKv9AvnQIC&pg=PA202&lpg=PA202&dq=talltree+%22way+of+the+medicine+wheel%22&source=bl&ots=yOuWzUyzDq&sig=JGl7O7pAh6UbE40ze8N06ttNEXI&hl=en&sa=X&ei=pF9LUdeWEqLJigK95YCIAg&ved=0CEUQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=talltree%20&f=false (http://books.google.com/books?id=CKdKv9AvnQIC&pg=PA202&lpg=PA202&dq=talltree+%22way+of+the+medicine+wheel%22&source=bl&ots=yOuWzUyzDq&sig=JGl7O7pAh6UbE40ze8N06ttNEXI&hl=en&sa=X&ei=pF9LUdeWEqLJigK95YCIAg&ved=0CEUQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=talltree%20&f=false)
Don't know if this is the same as taught by Robert Talltree himself:
Join me and my wife Terri, as we explore the journey teachings of the Medicine wheel and how these lessons can reveal your connection to the universe and possibly why your living on purpose is needed more now then ever.
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/chief-robert-talltree/4b/940/a82 (http://www.linkedin.com/pub/chief-robert-talltree/4b/940/a82)
Talltree's Miracle Mindshift http://howtoliveonpurpose.com/resources/mind/
(http://howtoliveonpurpose.com/resources/mind/)
The 3 Arrows of Power: Native American Guide to Living on Purpose - Master Course
$988.00
More than $2500 Total Value...for just 4 convenient monthly payments of ONLY $247!