Kay Wesho Bauer probably knows the most about them of anyone here, but the local Native heritage center just put out a great page debunking all their nonsense.
"The Manataka American Indian Council is the largest fraudulent Indian exploitative group in Arkansas, mixing New Age and Pagan concepts with American Indian concepts. Not only do they make misleading claims about themselves, they exploit legitimate Indian culture and attempt to misappropriate sacred religious ceremonies. Lee “Standing Bear??? Moore was featured as a “teacher??? on the known fraud William Scott Anderson’s “Prophecy Keeper’s??? program in 2004. The voluminous links (often unapproved) that Manataka's website provides to other tribes and articles on the American Indian suggests to the casual reader that this group is a valid representation of the legitimate Indian community, which it is not. In a smokescreen, Manataka has a website page devoted to warning about frauds - while committing the very same actions it warns against. "
http://aihsc.infoFrom the website:
"THE STORY OF MANATAKA By Lee Standing Bear Moore
Like many Manataka documents, much of this one is hard to respond to because of the nature of the claims. Rather than based on any specific knowledge or actual events, the majority of the “Story of Manataka??? is constructed from fanciful images similar to the most sophisticated of fairy tails and New Age concepts. They are by nature un-provable claims without rational support.
Rather than look at the overall message, we have to consider the messenger himself. As Danny Jones, one time Manataka insider and co-chairman of Manataka’s Arkansas American Indian Education Task Force (before he quit in disgust), quoted Randy Lee Moore as saying: “Tradition is a bunch of bunk! We create our own traditions!??? "
MOre from the site authors:
..."there is absolutely no evidence of any sacred caves ever existed outside of Manataka's own unsubstantiated claims....
Benito Altha Grayhorse, who MAIC claims was a "Guardian of Manataka", sold water from the Hot Springs area for profit!
It was the owners of the "garishly ornate bath houses" who came up with a great percentage of the promotional stories that Manataka clings to. Perhaps the most ornate bathhouse was developed by Colonel Samuel W. Fordyce, which contains a statue of Hernando DeSoto receiving water from an Indian "Princess". The good colonel was known to be an inventor of promotional stories....
It should become readily apparent where the twisted history is fabricated in promotion of MIAC's self interest. Legitimate American Indians face enough obstacles as it is in reclaiming their heritage without the corrupted form being offered by Manataka diluting it....
The Hot Springs National Park museum alone contains 300,000 documents. This includes thousands of letters, hundreds of reports, and some 3000 maps and drawings. Yet, not one of these items supports MAIC's claims....
There are dozens and dozens, if not hundreds, of studies and literatures that discuss human habitation of the Hot Springs area and Arkansas, at least back to the Paleo-Indian period before 8000 B.C. Exactly whose ancestors these were would be pure speculation. Arkansas has over 39,300 recorded archeological sites, and over 4,700 archeological projects. Yet, not one of these support MAIC's claims....
....the names used by Manataka members are real American Indian names, given in the manner and custom of real existing American Indian Tribes? Amongst members we find Quiet Wind, Sweet Water, Sparrow Hawk,
Eagle Water Bird, Good Butterfly, Spirit Walker, Hawk Eyes, Morning Flower, Mountain Wind,, Silent Bear, Furr Horse, BlueSkyWaters, Wolf Walks Quiet, Coyote Song, Screeching Hawk, ad nausea. While the majority of Manataka members claim Cherokee heritage, they do not follow the common Cherokee naming tradition. The foregoing names are not Cherokee names, only English words that sound to the inventors like American Indian names....
"Manataka" as a spiritual place is virtually unknown outside of the organization and those who have fallen for it's glib claims. Nor is there a "Great Manataka" found in the many different American Indian religious traditions."
Other warnings.
http://users.pandora.be/gohiyuhi/frauds/frd0024.htmhttp://users.pandora.be/gohiyuhi/frauds/frd0024b.htm
