Hi!
My name is Sara and My heritage is Mapuche (Chile Dad) and Irish (Mom). I was informed by a friend that there was a woman selling Andean and Mapuche ceremonies for $495-1980. I was really offended and started a petition. Now the plastic shamans are harassing me. So, I know I am doing the right thing.
When I read what these people were doing, I was outraged. I felt so deeply offended. I am just learning about my own native culture and here is someone putting up for sale. A non-native person treating this sacred information like a commodity just made me feel really disgusted and violated.
Especially since my family has been so messed up about being native in the first place. South America can be a violent place and my family was involved in the 1973 genocide and had to leave Chile. There was no medicine wheel ceremony at my house. This has been something that has messed me up quite a bit. But, with the help of a lot of native friends, I am learning. Attending sweat. Learning to walk the red road. It feels really good.
So, when I called this woman and told her politely how I felt about how wrong it was to sell these ceremonies. And I explained really calmly what my feelings were, she became very defensive and shouted at me why she has every right to "teach". I asked her to cease and desist. And she hung up the phone on me.
Here is a link to the petition at the bottom. She still "taught" her "teachings" over the weekend last weekend to a group of very wounded individuals who are so desperate that they would try this approach with someone so clearly unqualified. The petition was brought to the attention to the host/sponsor of the "event" who said that there were many abused people there who had "been helped and that I had bad karma coming to me for trying to prevent their healing".
I just feel that this is truly taking advantage of vulnerable individuals and someone will get hurt by this. It has to be stopped. Thank you for listening. I look forward to getting to know you. Chaltu May- Sara
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/183/360/892/stop-non-native-holly-schuck-from-performing-native-american-ceremonies/
