NAFPS Forum

General => Frauds => Topic started by: Ingeborg on January 23, 2011, 05:39:41 pm

Title: Mike O'brien AKA Michael Two Feathers
Post by: Ingeborg on January 23, 2011, 05:39:41 pm

I found several articles suggesting that MTF has been active for some time already, also in various European countries.

Some sites mention MTF is working as a building contractor in real life. Since no such sites show up in a netsearch under MTF, this suggests that this does not happen to be his legal name. As I found a discussion from alt.gathering.rainbow mentioning several names for MTF, and an Amazon recension claiming that MTF was involved in the Rainbow Family, we may perhaps assume that his real life name is Michael or Mike Mullen, and he probably also used or still uses the moniker „Spiritrising“.


This article dd 2003 mentions MTF has been active for ten years, i.e. since 1993:

http://www.frankfurter-ring.de/magazin/Archiv/2_2003/magazin_archiv_frameset.html


„The message of the Lakota Sioux Indians
'The way I see it, there are two kinds of humans in this world: those who seek purity and truth, and those who have a negative stand towards life, who are pessimistic and full of prejudice. I always knew that something within me seeks this purity. I simply feel better when I'm in this state.'

This is a simple, but clear message from Michael Two-Feathers. The charismatic leader and ambassador of the Lakota nation, Medicine Helper and Sundance Leader teaches the tradition and spirituality of his people. From the Indian nature and animal symbolicism to the meaning and way to do Indian rituals like cleansing ceremony, vision quest and sundance.

In the Indian tradition, intuitive learning by watching and participating in what happens is an everyday thing. In this way, the seminar offers a path to Indian spirituality with all senses. Michael Two-Feathers has participated in various „Sundances“ as a dancer and helper. Since 1995, he is a sundance leader himself. His seminars in Europe are more than just passing knowledge, they invite to a meeting with your own self. To compare our Western (rather short-lived) values with the values of the Lakota which are millenia old is a gain for everybody who gets inspired by a meeting with other worlds.

Michael Two-Feathers today lives in Northern California with his wife Debi and his three children. He is a spiritual mentor of various Indian groups and associations. He earns his living as a self-employed constructor (wood) and employs only Indians. Out of a vision, he has been working for keeping his tradition and culture for ten years now.“

Please also note that his wife goes by the name of Debi in this article.


He is even mentioned in an article in one of the bigger daily papers the same year, although it is not on him, but on several seminar offers for executive managers:

http://www.welt.de/print-welt/article268397/Erleuchtung_im_Dunkeln.html

25.10.2003

'Tour Extreme' also works with spirituality in combination with music and painting, with the seminar titled „Art & Culture“. But it is not Christian, but Indian wisdom of which executive managers are supposed to profit. In sweatlodges, during open-air ceremonies or during meals, Michael Two-Feathers and his wife Wohpé introduce them to the culture and tradition of the Lakota-Indians. Michael is a Lakota elder, ceremonial leader and spiritual advisor, Wohpé is Lakota and a member of the Pokanoket/Wampanoag Federation of Rhode Island. They want us to pause, to recollect oneself, and to adjust values and norms when dealing with employees and competitors. This also covers basic questions. Those expecting simple answers, however, will be disappointed.



Another article dd 2004 offers some more info on MTF's CV:

http://www.frankfurter-ring.de/magazin/Archiv/2_2004/magazin_archiv_frameset.html

„In his childhood, Michael Two-Feathers accompanied his father to a powwow in Oklahoma. His father turned to him and said: 'You're an Indian, too, just like these dancers'. This was the only time his father commented his descent. Only later on, when „Love and Peace“ ruled the spirit of the time, Michael found back to the roots of his Indian culture. In 1969, he affiliated with the squatting of Alcatraz Island and there met other Indians who initiated him into the history of the Lakota and their rituals and ceremonies.

Today, he is a building contractor and dedicates much of his life to the teachings and values he received over the years from Lakota elders like Martin Highbear. So a life without 'inipi', the cleansing ceremony in the sweatlodge, and without sundance, is unimaginable. He has the authorisation of the spirits to lead the sundance.

Meanwhile, he is a respected tribal elder and keeps a close contact to other tribes, also in Canada and Alaska, by whom he is invited regularly.

Since some years, he is supported and accompanied on his long travels by his wife Wohpé. Meeting these two persons will not leave anybody untouched. Their authenticity and their conveying of values guarantee a cheerful, but also profound experience. Michael says: 'You don't have to travel thousands of kilometres to find your own truth. The shortest trip is that from head to heart.'

One dream of those two getting fulfilled by and by is founding Wichozanni Village. Wichozanni is Lakota and means „living healthy“. The Native Village is dedicated to the sacred circle of life as a place of prayer and healing to re-explore the natural harmony with earth.

'We believe we are able to live happier and healthier, and we will, when we keep our earth, our culture and our traditions through the ceremonies and teachings of our natives.'“



Wichozanni Village is MTF's website – most of it is visible for members only.

http://www.wichozannivillage.org/index.php?pr=Services

They give the following information publically:

„At Wichozanni Village, we facilitate different celebrations and ceremonies throughout the year.  Out of respect, we do not advertise them, but you are welcome to personally request information about the types of ceremonies/gatherings that we share. „


http://www.wichozannivillage.org/index.php?pr=About_Us


Quote
Wichozanni Village is the vision of Michael and wohpe'.  Their goal for many years has been to acquire land where they can create a traditional village environment for ceremonial and cultural gatherings where traditional ways of life can be continued for the future generations.

"At Wichozanni Village, we continue to hold onto the ancient beliefs and traditions passed on to us by our family and respected tribal elders".  Michael and wohpe' are both of mixed-blood First Nation Peoples of North America, with the main traditional teachings and influences being from their Lakota heritage.  In 1994, Michael began sharing some of these teachings in Europe at the recommendation of his mentor, Martin High Bear (a lakota medicine man from Cheyenne River, SD).  In 2002 wohpe' began joining him on these annual visits adding traditional woman's teachings. wohpe' is also a tribal member of the Pokanoket/Wampanoag Federation of Rhode Island and for years has also shared the history and stories of her Wampanoag people in schools and at gatherings. They have been invited to share teachings at spiritual and cultural gatherings in Europe and other countries, as well as here on Turtle Island.

Wichozanni Village (as a non-profit organization) was established in California in 2004.
Wichozanni Village is dedicated to the Sacred Circle as a place to find harmony through prayer, through education and through the practice of Living in Health of the Mind, Body & Spirit.
Mitakuye Oyasin (we are all relatives)

As Wohpé happens to be another name for White Buffalo Calf Woman, I suppose her taking this name may be seen as blasphemous.




There are a few ads for ceremonies with MTH to be found online, e.g. from Switzerland, France, and Germany, but I also found a blog from Czechia where they also publish photos of MTH and his wife.

The site of Pascal Cavin offers several nuage practices, like Reiki, massages etc.

http://www.inipis.ch/M2F/teaching.html 

Cavin is also advertising a vision quest and teachings with MTH:
http://www.inipis.ch/M2F/Hanblechia.html 

His intro on MTH:

„Michael Two Feathers is a traditional dancer and spiritual guardian of the Lakota tradition. He is married, a father, a councillor, singer, and has already lead sundances and vision quests.“

The dates for MTH's ceremonies/seminars for 2011:

http://www.inipis.ch/M2F/Teachings.html

„Four days, June 12-15, 2011 at Cernex in France (20 minutes from Geneva, 30 minutes from Annecy)

Wohpe, his wife, Lakota and a tribal member of the Pokanoket/Wampanoag federation, is the mother of several children. She has an affection for the traditional arts, e.g. pottery and beadwork.
She is a member of the traditional dance circle of „Robes à clochettes“ (an ancient dance of healing“.


http://www.inipis.ch/menuframeset.htm

Date list of sweats offered by Cavin, including the 'teachings' and 'vision quest' with MTF.




MTF has also participated in nuage congresses in Europe:

http://www.rainbow-spirit.de/Bilder/pdf/pdfs_MagNov/87-89.pdf

MTF took part in the notorious Rainbow Spirit Festival from May 14-16, 2005, an annual nuage festival hosting ceremony sellers, seminar leaders, so-called healers etc. The 2005 guest list is interesting as it also names one Johannes Holey who is an author of books on esotericism and spirituality, and also the father of Jan Udo Holey aka Jan van Helsing, an exponent of Nazi esoterics in Germany. Holey Sr also used to be CEO of extreme right conspiration theorist internet TV 'secret TV', founded by his son.

Rainbow Spirit festivals are being organized annually since 1994; they are the largest esoteric trade fair and also offer seminars, workshops, concerts, meditations etc.



Perhaps not quite coincidentially then, MTF's CDs are published by Arun publishing house in Germany (cf http://www.newagefraud.org/smf/index.php?topic=841.0  ):

http://www.arun-verlag.de/index.php?action=showdetails&area=1&id=52&p=manufacturer

„Michael Two-Feathers
Michael Two-Feathers, a charismatic ambassador of the Lakota nation and a sundance leader, personifies the allegory of a spiritual mentor and lively ideal of the vast knowledge of Lakota Sioux culture. Since some years, Michael comes to Europe to pass this knowledge to managers and private persons in workshops and lectures. His teachings and his story-telling as well as the inipis (sweatlodge ceremony) and vision quests are a gift for everybody inspired by Indian culture.

He was born in 1947 on the Philippines as the son of a Lakota and a Hawaiian. His first contact to Indian culture was the squatting of Alcatraz in 1969. This was followed by instructive years with the medicine men Brave Buffalo, Wallace BlackElk, Martin Highbear, Frances Rich, and Godfrey Chips.

From 1986 he is a sundancer, a sundance leader in the tradition of Godfrey Chips since 1995, and a master of ceremonies of various powwows.“


The CD sold by Arun is called „Lakota ritual songs“, although it does not seem available at the moment. It is however still availabe at an internet bookshop where one of the customers wrote in a recension dd March 31, 2005:

http://www.amazon.de/product-reviews/3935581459

„Well, a CD with a booklet advertising a „Training and Event GmbH“ and which also advertizes expensive sweatlodges and vision quests with the artist of this CD I will view with some suspicion. Two-Feathers was born on the Philippines as the son of a Lakota father and a Hawaiian mother, and only came into contact to „Indian culture“ (which one?) in 1969, at the age of 22, and earns his money e.g. with manager workshops and other events, e.g. for the „Rainbow people“. Apart from the fact that there was no and is no individual with the Lakota who was or is in the position of a spiritual ambassador for all, or in a position to speak for all Lakota, I wonder whether today's traditional Lakota wouldn't view Two-Feathers as a „plastic medicine man“.




This is a site listed in Austria with an 'Inipi gallery' showing photos of MTF and a person called Pedro:

http://www.inipi.at/impressionen.html

Photo No 19 in the Inipi gallery shows „Pedro and Michael Two Feathers“




Another Swiss site, a collection of articles on promotional work done by the site maintainers:

http://www.chardoncom.com/cc_www_PR.doc

„Espresso, Oct 20, 1998

For him, Michael, and Jill it was a great experience to be in Switzerland. „Therefore we have brought a gift for people“, says Michael Two Feathers. He is speaking of the sweatlodge ceremony, a cleansing ritual for body and mind which he will do with and for the Swiss families [i.e. the participants].

„We don't do this ceremony for payment. This is against our tradition“, the Lakota Indian explains. He adds with a whimsical smile: „We may accept gifts in return.“

When Michael is not busy building a sweatlodge with Swiss people, he works in the USA as a building contractor. Furthermore, he is engaged very much in his tribe as a traditional dancer, „Medicine Helper“, a combination of councillor, natural healer, therapist, and ceremonial master, as well as the head of the sundancers.“



MTF also seems to have 'initiated' other persons to do ceremonies. At this site, a person going by the name of Sun Pedro is mentioned, and he is selling sweats:

http://www.rajistan.com/events/schwitzhuette.htm

„Inipi leader
Sun Pedro received his initiation and authorisation for doing sweatlodge rituals in traditional Lakota way from his Indian mentor Michael Two Feathers, a traditional master of ceremonies of the Lakota Indians.

The Fees:

Per particpant and sweatlodge ceremony: € 45 for participation, rent of premises, wood
Children up to the age of 15 will participate for free.

Optional cost:
Accomodation on mattress in dorm: € 19 incl. visitor's tax and breakfast
Accomodation in tent: € 9 incl. visitor's tax and breakfast
Dinner after sweatlodge: € 7“



I also found this site which seems to indicate a connection to the Nemenha Band and Native American Traditional Organization which has been discussed at NAFPS already
(cf http://www.newagefraud.org/smf/index.php?topic=1898.0 ):

http://www.blm.gov/or/districts/medford/plans/files/morelcerea.pdf


Quote
Maka Oyate
Sundance Native American
Religious Ceremony
Environmental Assessment
OR-114-07-01


Bureau of Land Management
Ashland Resource Area
Medford District Office
3040 Biddle Road
Medford, OR 97504


Quote
„1. Purpose and Need
Chapter 1 introduces a proposal to issue a three-year authorization to the Maka Oyate Sundance
Lodge of the Nemenhah, Nemenhah Band and Native American Traditional Organization,
Oklevueha Native American Church of Sanpete (Maka Oyate Sundance Society)
for the
purposes of conducting an annual Sundance Native American religious ceremony within the
Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. It begins with an introduction to the analysis,
background information about the proposal, followed by an explanation of the need for action
and a statement of the proposed action developed.“
[...]

1.3 Background
„ … On July 7, 2006, the BLM met with Gerald Skelton, Culture and Heritage Director of the
Klamath Tribes, several Klamath Tribal elders and members of the Maka Oyate Sundance
Society. John Snider of Congressman Walden’s staff also attended the meeting at which the
Klamath Tribe’s representative stated that the Klamath Tribe considers the site to be a “sacred
area” and that the Klamath Tribes considers Michael Two Feathers, of the Maka Oyate Sundance
Society, to be an authoritative representative of an Indian religion

Emphasis added by me.



I also found a link to a 2007 discussion on alt.gathering.rainbow:
http://newsgroups.derkeiler.com/Archive/Alt/alt.gathering.rainbow/2007-08/msg00021.html

In the header, MTF is also addresses as 'Mike Mullen' and 'Spiritrising':

Quote
BeeJay Rainbow answers in response to Mike Mullin, Aka Mike Two-
Feathers, also known as Spiritrising' s request to ask the forest
service before we gather for the Missouri Regional the permission to
gather and form an operational plan with the Pigs and the
FS..otherwise invite them to council

Title: Re: Michael Two Feathers
Post by: earthw7 on January 25, 2011, 12:18:41 am
Medicine men Brave Buffalo??? What my great grandfather has been dead for almost a 100 years now!
Micheal Two Feather is a white man who claimed back in the day to be adopted by a Lakota, I have even talked with him on the phone, He is not a speaker for the Lakota Nation he does not represent us as a nation and he host nothing but newager.
Title: Re: Michael Two Feathers
Post by: czech on January 25, 2011, 09:03:45 am
I have found mention of him coming to the Czech Republic in 2002, 2003, 2007 and 2009. In one of the advertisements the organizer states that all fees will be used only to cover the expenses of the flight ticket and stay of Michael and his family in the CR.

One webpage advertises “a meeting with traditional Lakota culture” without mentioning the year, but most probably it was in 2009. Two sweatlodges were part of the program, separately male and female. This is what the page says of him (my translation):

Michael, a master of ceremony of the Lakota (Sioux) and the leader of the Sun Dance ceremony brings with his wife Wohpe the possiblity to learn about the traditional as well as contemporary Lakota culture. We will speak about male rituals and female ceremonies, about ancient teachings on contemporary life, Lakota songs will be sung. Through their traditions, Michael and Wohpe will help us remember our own roots.
Michael and Wohpe are mostly influenced by the teachings of the Lakota tribe, they both have the blood of the Indigenous peoples of Northern America in them. Upon the instruction of his Lakota teacher Martin High Bear, Michael began to travel to Europe in 1994. In 2002, his wife Wohpe joined him with the traditional female teaching. Wohpe is also a member of the Pokanoket/Wampanoag Federation of Rhode Island and lectures on the history and stories of the Wampanoag people at schools and meetings. It has been their intention for many years to obtain land and create a traditional Wichozanni Village and to create environment for cultural gatherings and ceremonies and to preserve original traditions for future generations.

http://www.lampijon.cz/mike&wohpe.php

This is the blog Ingeborg mentions that shows their pictures. It gives the year of 2009 and most probably describes the event advertised above (same town, same school).

http://moje-kniha-stinu.blog.cz/0906/poselstvi-rudeho-muze
Title: Re: Michael Two Feathers
Post by: sam on January 25, 2011, 10:33:06 am
he is running a seminar in duebbekold from the 24.06 t0 the 26.of june
at joachim irmers place www.duebbekold.de there are smart enough not to put pricetaxes on anymore
Title: Re: Michael Two Feathers
Post by: starboy on January 27, 2011, 03:20:36 pm
Michael Two Feathers and Whope are frauds. He is Hawaiian and Irish and she is white. she claims to be a memeber of the state recognized wamponoag but only recelntly did the wamponoag receive recognition from the federal government. She is a member of a group of wannabes . He danced under highbear telling him he was lakota when in fact he was not. martin believed him. the dance was entrusted to his care to keep martins vision intact. since tht time it has been usurped to build a spiritual following of europeans for themselves. they are paid handsomely to travel in europe each year promoted as lakota tribe members. Neither are lakota. he does not speak lakota, he memorizes terms and phrases from cds and books. He and she add things to ceremony to suit the following they are creating. His real name is Michael Obrien and she is Debbie Marinez. His second wife <jill refused to mislead people by< pouring sweats and after having an affair which she intiitated they came together and began building this dream they call wichozanni village. they have used funds from the donations for personal use. her income is ssi of less than 700 a month and he only began recieving ss of the same amount last year. the dsnce one held over 1000 people but is now less thatn a hundred. mostly europeans who follow them in europe. martin made it clear that one had to work the fire 4 years before dancing now anyone from europe has only to ask and they come dance. they get several thousands in donations in germany alone. cash money handed tothem they do not report. also in america . anyone who confronts them are labelled as sex abusers. including high bear, redleaf, augie gray fox, and charles fasthorse. an actual quote from her was that she : had the right to protect her family even if it included lying. her dream of being a spiritual leader was an idea that she formed at the pow wows where she danced in paradise california. where she first met him. she told several women then that she was going to have him even though both were married. this is witnessed by several people. more than two dozen people have come forward with stories of how this all unfolded.  she also told me that because she was with him that anything she did would be believed. . he is not who he says he is. as fasthorse put it, he has charisma. he is a gossiper and not anything that people are saying here of being a trible elder or member. nor is she. they take bits from books. she uses tilda long soldier as a source of her 8 women ways . i spoke with tilda and spent 3 days with her last year. she was offended that someone would take her personal message and turn it to a lakota teaching for ego. the marriages they perform are a sham, and the counselling they give also. they also take peoples prayers from inipi to use against them. he shares everything with her. men should be safe in ini not have their words taken out to give to her. he calls his sundance elder a goat who is led around by a ring in his nose by his wife who is the sundance mother. it is sick. these people have a good appearance of being so spiritual and so in love while around ceremony but the rest of the time they fight . its all bullshoot. coyote leggings. liars and thieves who should be prosecuted for tax evasion, money laundering thru the village site, cultural theft, and conspiracy. three other dances ha e formed because the people who know all this are shunned. but if you are european and have some money you are welcomed. martin is ashamed of this man for what he has done. the dreams she claims to have are anything but. she stirs the pot behind his back then claims to have seen what was coming. they also lied about fasthorse, a genuine lakota medicine man as he was going to return the dance to the nation. THESE PEOPLE ARE FRAUDS DO NOT SUPPORT THEM.  instead contact your representative to have them prosecuted and all who support them in it. a book is being written about all of this in detail complete with people who are willing to testify in court as to the truth of this.
Title: Re: Michael Two Feathers
Post by: Ingeborg on January 28, 2011, 02:44:15 pm


Starboy, I would like to reply publically to your PM:

Quote
i see u are promoting MTF as a genuine lakota and his wife debbie. Are you willing to testify in federal court to your knowledge of them ?

I did not promote MTF in any way, I published info found during an internet research on MTF, and translated contents I found on German and French language sites. I'm not responsible for what nuagers claim MTF may or may not be.
Title: Re: Michael Two Feathers
Post by: Superdog on January 28, 2011, 04:19:43 pm


Starboy, I would like to reply publically to your PM:

Quote
i see u are promoting MTF as a genuine lakota and his wife debbie. Are you willing to testify in federal court to your knowledge of them ?

I did not promote MTF in any way, I published info found during an internet research on MTF, and translated contents I found on German and French language sites. I'm not responsible for what nuagers claim MTF may or may not be.

I'd go a little further and say Ingeborg's post exposes them.  Not promotes them.
We all make mistakes though.

Superdog
Title: Re: Michael Two Feathers
Post by: starboy on January 31, 2011, 12:07:10 pm
thank you.. i misunderstood the cntent.. i will be more attentive in the future.. and i think the second of ur exposing them is right as well..
Title: Re: Michael Two Feathers
Post by: sam on April 04, 2011, 11:12:57 am
24.to 26 june seminar and sweat
at joachim irmers place dübbekold
found under facebook Dübbekold
295 Euro
Title: Re: Michael Two Feathers
Post by: TRIBALMOONS@yahoo.com on April 04, 2011, 02:46:18 pm
http://www.greenweddings.net/ceremonies.html
Title: Re: Michael Two Feathers
Post by: educatedindian on August 29, 2011, 08:33:43 pm
MTF/Cullen/Mullen/Obrien's wife contacted me several times. I offered to submit a statement from her, asking her to clear up what others have charged the two of them with doing. She refuses (so far at least) to even discuss. In one of the most bizarre Nuage statements I've ever heard, claims "debates don't promote truth."

Here are the emails between us. First her, then me, then her again, then me again. While I'm reluctant to post her possible smear of someone, it is revealing that she would do so. And if there were any truth to it, then she would have followed up with the evidence she claimed to have.

---------

From: wohpe twofeathers
> Subject: Slander
> Date: Saturday, August 27, 2011, 12:36 AM

I was very surprised to find misrepresented and totally out of content information (lies) you allow to be posted about my family on your website. We agree that there are many people taking advantage of our native way of life, including natives, but for anyone to slander people based on some articles found here and there on the internet and open forums is very sad.  You are not the creator,the elders of my family or any of the tribes of mine or my husbands family, therefor, with all respect, you have no place to self appoint yourselves our (or anyone's judges).  We have no difficulty providing legitimate organizations or individuals who may have concerns, contact with our tribal family and/or council.  Had you taken the time to ask us directly, you would understand our story and our commitments to our way of life, our family, tribes and to all people of mother earth before trying to put shame on us with total disregard to truth. In my opinion,
> compiling misrepresentations based on other misrepresentations is not very professional or the native way.  Our email address is made available to the public so people can contact us.  The post by someone calling himself starboy, well, we believe we know who he is, a man who used our family for financial and spiritual support and then was asked to leave because of his lies and theft, like some others have done also.  This man was exposed and we told him to leave us, and now it seems he found your site a perfect venue to spread his anger.  So much is lies and twisted opinions, and i would otherwise not even bother to respond to a site like yours. However, it is so terrible what you have allowed on your site that I feel it crosses the line of freedom of your opinion, and is on a level of slander.  By my contact, it is my hope that you retract starboy's slander and misrepresenations and contact us directly so that you can have better information
> before seeking out to condemn people who you don't really know anything about.  You may be interested to know that this man (who sounds to be your starboy) has a police case on file because of his abuse towards us, and if we find it necessary to pursue this, which i hope wont come to that, I hope you will cooperate with the authorities with his information that he used to access your site).  I hope to speak with you directly in the near future.  Ps, Like many natives (and non natives) I have more than one name. I did not choose or give myself any of them, or the name most common to me now, which has other meanings than what you claim is blasphemy.  If you can find a lakota dictionary you can find that out.  It makes me very sad that some of the people have taken this kind of approach towards each other.


-------------

> Hello,
> We always welcome any and all additional information which may clear up these matters. You or others are welcome to post a statement on the site and to engage in debate or discussion with the members.
>  
> Or if you wish we can post a statement from you, the email below if you choose.
>  
> Note that the discussion of Mr. Twofeathers (variously identified as Cullen, Mullen, or Obrien) happened from 8 to 5 months ago. You were always free to join in that discussion as was any supporter of his.
>  
> Note that the critics of him include several Lakota, not one. One of the critics is a relative of Brave Buffalo and a respected member of a Lakota tribal government.
>  
> The criticism also comes from:
>  
> MTF's own websites or other sites advertising him selling ceremony and seminars
>  
> His association or membership in the Rainbow Tribe cult
>  
> Association with frauds and racists (including a neo Nazi)
>  
> Association with a dangerous cult calling itelf Nemenhah Band
>  
> Falsely claiming training from a number of Lakota medicine people
>  
> Falsely presenting himself as Lakota to Martin Highbear
>  
> Falsely claiming the right or authorization to teach others ceremony
>  
> "Franchising" out the right to do ceremony to Europeans without proper training
>  
> And finally, falsely claiming to be Lakota when he is actually Irish, by some accounts Hawaiian as well.
>  
> You have also been accused by several people of falsely claiming to be Native when you are white, or that the organization you are part of is dubious.
>  
> All of these are quite serious, and I personally (and likely the majority of the forum) make no claim as to the truth of these accusations until we know more. MTF is listed under Research Needed because there is not yet enough information.
>  
> Again, we would welcome any further information which could clear these matters up.
>  
> Regardless of  your opinion of those making the accusations, there is still the obvious matter of all the advertising involving MTF selling ceremony all across Europe repeatedly.
> Al Carroll, moderator


----------

From: wohpe twofeathers
Subject: Re: Slander
Date: Saturday, August 27, 2011, 7:26 AM


Debates do not promote truth.  If you would like to clear up the lies and twisted information you have presented to the people who read your site, wouldn't it be appropriate to introduce yourselves so we know who you (all) are and why you choose to post serious things on the internet before getting facts straight?  If you do truly seek truth, please show some courage and introduce yourselves and we can continue from there.

-----------

Who I am is all over the site. I've always been quite open about that. I'm actually pretty surprised you didn't already see that information.
 
What you seem to wish to do is change the subject and avoid answering serious questions about the credibility and ethics of the two of you.
 
If you fear debate, there may be little hope of any actual discussion. So it seems you would rather allow people to believe (alleged) misconceptions or supposed "slander" rather than take the time to correct them.
 
This is so far and away from the behavior of actual medicine people or any American Indians it inclines me to believe much if not all of the criticisms are correct.
 
After all, what reason could a person have for avoiding mentioning if their actual legal last name is Cullen or Mullen other than hiding something?
 
We remain open to posting any public statement you wish. In the meantime, since it shows a great deal about the [ethics of the] two of you, these emails will be posted.
Al Carroll, moderator
Title: Re: Michael Two Feathers
Post by: earthw7 on August 30, 2011, 02:02:06 pm
Thank u Al, what these people are doing is wrong as a person who is Lakota they do not
represent me nor do they have premission to represent our nation, before they make a claim
like that i want to see the permission from all the 14 Lakota/Dakota/Nakota Nation in the
United States and the 9 in Canada that says they have permission.
Two Feather dose not have the right to use my family name nor do they have the rights to
do ceremonies under our name.
Title: Re: Michael Two Feathers
Post by: starboy on September 09, 2011, 02:54:05 am
http://nemenhah.org/internal/about_us.html

this link says it all.. check all the pages to see.. the post by wohpe are lies as expected thanks.. whirlwind number one...

" Our Offering goes out to all Natural Healers of Good Intention. If you are willing to publicly declare that Natural Healing comprises part of your Spiritual Orientation, that you will First Do No Harm, and that you will work to further the work of perfecting and unifying the Band and the fulfilling of its mission, promising your support for its services and offerings, you are invited to become part of our Permanent Population through the ancient Principle of Spiritual Adoption. "

from the nemenhah statement of what they are about.. so much for good intention,.
Title: Re: Michael Two Feathers
Post by: educatedindian on September 10, 2011, 01:37:37 pm
MTF's wife emailed again, this time admitting or claiming they actually hadn't had contact with anyone in the Brave Buffalo family since 1986.

A supporter of theirs going only by "Ki Ki" emailed an account which had mostly a lot of detail of their own life. I'm posting the useful parts. Following is my response.

----------

....The following words that I write are factual and come from my own actual historical experience.  They are not a re-tell of what someone else has relayed to me, nor are they an interpretation of what someone else’s thoughts and opinions are.  They are not meant to persuade any reader to pick a side of right or wrong, but if a historical event must be told then let it be told with facts....

....As years passed I like others spent time talking with and learning from Martin Highbear.  Martin always spoke highly of Michael Two Feathers, and on numerous occasions Martin  directed myself or others with me to Michael regarding questions we had or information we needed on a specific thing.  Martin considered Michael to be his main helper, stated to me personally that Michael knew and lived these ways and could be trusted. Through my experience with Michael I found those words to be true.
I read on the site where someone posted that people in Europe were charging money for things associated with ceremony,  and it was said that Michael was involved in this.  I can tell you that years ago I was present when Martin spoke to Michael Two Feathers about going to Europe to help our relatives there learn and understand these ways.  It was Martin who asked Michael to go.  Martin spoke about how we were all related and how it was equally important that the four nations of mankind (red, black, white, and yellow) learn these ways and help one another.   I cannot speak for what people in Europe say or do as I have not been present in that country to witness it for myself.  However, I can say this;   I have personally met numerous people from all over Europe as they have traveled to this country to attend ceremony.   I believe from my conversation with those individuals that some of what may have happened is due to a difference in culture and also contributed to by a language barrier.  Well meaning people from all over Europe in their effort and eagerness to learn these ways sometimes chose improper ways to try to raise money that would assist individuals such as Michael and others in coming to their country to help them learn.   It is also important to note that Michael is not the only person to have been asked to share his knowledge of these ways to the European people.  I sat and listened personally to fascinating stories Wallace Black Elk  told about his travels there.   He also spoke about the cultural differences and the language barrier and how it sometimes resulted in well meaning people doing something that is not traditionally acceptable.  Even Wallace taught that we should have compassion for these people and help them to learn the proper ways to do these things....

.... Michael’s actions with all he comes into contact with clearly demonstrate that he does not support charging fees in any form for ceremony and the actions of those people and whether or not they chose to use his name in an endeavor does not mean that Michael Two Feathers agrees with them or that he condones it any more than it meant that Wallace or any other person does....

....I read in the posts on the site where Star boy posted all of the less than honest information about Michael Two Feathers, that Michael is affiliated with the Nemenha.  Once again this information while out there, is not quite accurate.  In all truth it is my fault that the Namenha name is associated with the Maka Oyate dance.  Several years ago there was an issue with the land where Wallace first brought the ceremonies to the people, and where Martin held ceremonies, and where Michael has continued to hold the ceremonies with the approval of many highly recognized leaders and members of the native community.  The government felt that after all the years of ceremony held on that land, that is was no longer going to give approval for ceremony to be held on that land.  At the time they gave notice to the people that the current year this all happened was going to be the last year ceremony could be held on that land.  I was instructed to “stand and hold that land sacred”.  I did not know how I was supposed to do that, nor did I know where to begin, but I trusted spirit.  It took a lot of hard work, and many many hours of speaking with officials from all levels as well as lots of written documents.  During the year long process I had offers from some agencies, groups, and organizations to assist in that battle.  The Namenha was one such organization.  At the time I had not heard of some of these groups or organizations before but was willing to accept the help from any source trying not to limit any resources that spirit may put on my path to hold the land sacred for the people.  It was not until further into the hard work of holding the land sacred for the people that I learned that some of those groups were not ideal or in sync with our purpose.  So you see Michael had nothing to do with the association to the Namenha at all.  It was me who in my innocence at the time who created that temporary association....

----------

Thank you for the information. We always appreciate any further facts on these topics. We will post the parts of your accounts that are useful.
 
By way of clarification, it is MTF himself who sells ceremony in Europe.
 
It is MTF himself who has him listed as a member of the Nemenhah exploiters cult, the same group led by a convicted con man who recently faced criminal charges for denying cancer treatment to a minor.
 
And incidentally, Wallace "Black Elk" (Not his actual name. The actual Black Elk family denounced him for pretending to be related to them.) was an exploiter and widely regarded as such, a man who sold ceremony and preached nonsense like Atlantis. While some regarded him well for his work with AIM in the 1970s, by the 80s and until his death he was widely regarded as a pay to pray type.
 
We have consulted with elders and others, which you can see if you had actually read the thread and not relied on second hand information. The Brave Bull family says MTF is lying about him training MTF. Looking Horse also does not endorse MTF. And MTF apparently lied to Martin Highbear about his background. MTF's wife continues to refuse to answer questions about MTF's actual name and background. He is NOT Lakota.
Title: Re: Michael Two Feathers
Post by: starboy on September 10, 2011, 04:00:35 pm
the letter by this KI KII seems to be an extension  of wohpe.. he it well versed.. or rehearsed i should say.. as her involvement with dance has not been as she claims.. there is no obession with wohpe .. that is a diversion to create a martyr and divert attention away from the issue .. stealing a lakota sundance ceremony t build a spiritual portfolio for themselves.. there are many people involved in it and apparently it seems that KI KI may be one of them...

the matter at hand is clear as there are many instances in print for years of his selling ceremony and the lies created to spread gossip of whomever goes against them to tell the truth.. including real medicine men and common people as well..

as noted on this page the thread was started by a european years ago.. so already they were being found out.. i have been contacted by more than 60 people here and abroad with there experience as KI KI  states of their treatment of them.. from being labeled as sex predators to abusers.. how is that for a humble man ? from women who knew her from her pow wow days to men who dance with him at mt hood.. all want their voices back .. the type of gossip they spread is heinous as it destroys the credibility within the community.. a very effective weapon... having a few token elders helped to provide cover does not provide a good cover.. against the many who have come forward stating the cash handed to them for which there is no record of  to the threats of bodily harm.. dave chiefs wife gave a story, red leaf gave many, fasthorse, to name a few.. also people involved in her life before she was even a part of the dance, from her former womens circle to memebers ot the pow wow committee.. all with the statement that they were willing to testify under oath if it were needed.. the singer who was living with them making a statement of what really happened when they got together.. shall all of that become public forum ? i state all of this now to show how the issue is being handled by them to make it be an issue of personal attacks rather than the one of stealing ceremony for personal gain..  the fact is that this reply by KI KI is nothing more than a well rehearsed extension of another person meant to confuse the facts.. some of which are...

fasthorse was eliminated from a lakota ceremony by a lie to insure their cult status.. godfrey chipps was used to try to keep a war between them.. godfrey in a conversation said this recently " it is god that all of this gets out, the people need to hear this ".. KI KI claims to have been a party to chi;ps conversations are an outright lie which further proves that her information is coached by someone else..btw fasthorse was one of many principal players in the writing of AIRFA .. testifying before congress .. he is a real lakota medicine .. by blood.. by treaty. fools crow was a man who came for coffee in the morning with his mom.. do u see ? the words and deeds of people who are not lakota trying to pass as lakota are simply grabbing for straws.. the BIA, Rep Walden and the Klamath tribe have all verified that they do not endorse these people.. those who do have been misled... and the voices of those who do silenced by gossip .. an apology by a humble man and a retraction would go a long way to make matters better .. the basic line here is this .. they are messing with the powers.. THEY WENT BETWEEN THE POWERS AND THE PIPE IN LYING ABOUT THESE THINGS..  which again shows clearly they have no knowledge of lakota cosmology... they have no instructions.. the powers did not give them a bundle. the claim of chipps doing so is not so true.. i was told by him that he cannot do that.. also as for martin.. michael was one of many helpers.. the falling out came from that time.. that is when the camp split ... so she needs to get "her" facts straight.. mebbe talk to them again before she types a letter to a forum tell of "her" experience...

the info of my experience starts from the redwind days with brave buffalo and highbear.. think about that before you speak..
Title: Re: Michael Two Feathers
Post by: Smart Mule on September 10, 2011, 05:49:41 pm
I have a copy of their business entity detail for Wichhozanni Village from the California Secretary of State.  I do not want to post it because it lists their home address and running their home address brings up a picture of their home and vehicles (it is not a village, it is a single family home).  There is NO LISTING WITH THE IRS for Wichozanni Village.

At the address provided by the business entity detail there is a listing on various business sites for M Two Feathers Construction or Two Feathers Construction.  The business is not registered though it is possible it is a DBA.

The business entity detail also provided the complete legal name for Wohpe/Deb.  I have yet to find documentation for MTF's legal name. 

Al if you have contact with Deb TF again could you please ask her why she out and out lied about Arvol?
Title: Re: Michael Two Feathers
Post by: starboy on September 10, 2011, 06:06:37 pm
also this section

" 1995 (I believe) Sundance ceremony had ended and most folks were already on their way home from camp.A few of us remained, including Martin.I and another person were standing in the dirt road as the driver of Martin’s motor home began to pull out of camp.Martin had his friend stop the motor home so he could speak with us before leaving.I looked up at Martin and said “If I don’t see you before Martin, I’ll see you here next year.”I can still see his face looking down at me from the window of his motor home as he said these words to me: “I won’t see you next year, I won’t be back. But I want you to be very careful.”

pretty good memory.. hahah.. seeing as i did not happen.. he did not have a motorhome.. for one and u were not there at this time.. also.. he died in 95... we all knew he ws ill... he could not breathe or talk long enough to say these things u say he did.. he was on oxygen ...

".Martin looked down at me very kindly and smiled and said: “Things are going to change, things are going to change everywhere in our ceremonies.I want you to be very careful about the ceremonies you go to.Remember what I have taught you.Ceremonies will pop up all over the place, many people will think they know what needs to be done and they will change things. Little things at first, and then more and more to fit their own needs. There will come a time when it will be very hard to find the truth and true ceremony as spirit instructed.Be careful and stay away from those ceremonies and people.Stay with Michael, he knows these ways and lives them, he has become them and he will keep them for the generations to come, you can trust him. Remember what I have told you, remember what you have learned, help Michael to keep these ways the way spirit has instructed them to be done.”


it is sad that you would lie about this.. it so shows how coached your response is.. to protect michael.. it was pointed out to me by one of the many   former dancers who called me today that he always gets someone else to speak and defend him.. why is that ?
Title: Re: Michael Two Feathers
Post by: starboy on September 10, 2011, 07:51:10 pm
for anyone interested .. i have the complete set of all correspondance between KI KI and John Snider , the BLM and Nemeneh during the process she speaks of.. it clearly shows that her statements protecting him are false. it includes emails between her and mr snider who then represented rep walden of oregon.. he no longer works for him and the reps office states that had no knowledge of any support of this dance... that may suggest with their statement to me that snider did so on his own as they claim to have no knowledge of rep walden ever endorsing this man or this dance.. by her own words and the dates u can discern for yourself the merit of the post in defense of two feathers. and why it was coached .. ty... this is not personal as they suggest.. it is about ceremony and truth.. stick to facts .. those tactics may work elsewhere to keep people in your cult but they will not work here.. ty
Title: Re: Michael Two Feathers
Post by: Knickers on September 11, 2011, 12:56:03 am
Hello Star boy:  I do not claim to have all the answers, nor do I claim to be anyone important, an authority on anything, or be the only one who recalls the historical facts I experienced.  I do not need to use anyone else's lifetime to prove my own validity.  What I posted is exactly what I experienced, not from what anyone else told me, or their version of it.  The historical events as I relayed them are exactly what happened no matter how much you may NOT want them to be or how uncomfortable it makes you.  The information I posted simply is what it is, and I will not "color" it up to make it more or less than what it is. I have to say that your attempt to discredit and add in less than honest information to my post sincerely makes me wonder how much of the other information you have posted has received the same treatment.

You stated that I claimed to be a part of conversations with Godfrey.  I never once stated that I was a part of any conversations with Godfrey, nor did I imply it.  It simply isn't true. I was however at the Pilot Rock dance when Godfrey came out to run the dance with Michael and the several hundred people there can legitimize that Godfrey passed the bundle to Michael for him to continue that ceremony even in Godfrey's absence.   I also made no statements regarding the treatment of anyone in Europe, either the Two Feathers or other people.  I was not there and can not say what happened.

As for your statement regarding "stealing a Lokota Sundance ceremony", the only time in all these years that I heard talk of "taking the Sundance ceremony" it was Charles.  After several years of supporting Michael, it was Charles who began lobbying people to take over the Pilot Rock dance, I was present at the Portland meeting when that lobbying began and again when Charles requested that dancers, helpers, and supporters meet and asked if it could be held at my home.  I did not know at the time the true purpose of that meeting and agreed that my home could be used.  It was at that meeting that Charles made all the plans about how it was going to be done, and when it would happen, and demanded that people play specific roles in his plan to take the dance away from Michael.  Many people were very upset and left because they wanted no part in it.  It was the people who attended those meetings that spoke to Michael about what had been said and the details of how it was to be done by Charles and that is what led up to him being asked to leave.   So tell me... am I speaking to you Charles? or perhaps Kevin? The words you use are identical to Charles words. Is that what started all of this?  The plan didn't work so the next best thing is to discredit Michael?  Did you turn that into a personal vendetta?  I sincerely hope not. I had considered you to be a whole different kind of person than that. 

I also find it interesting that you "Star boy" or whoever you are, now mention having a complete set of all the documents including emails of the work I did regarding the sacred ground status.  As it was Charles who stood before all those people he had called together to plan the over throw of the Pilot Rock dance and demanded that I turn all of those documents over to him I once again ask... is this you Charles who started all of this?.  No one else has the complete information except Charles, and could not make that claim.  Out of respect to who he was I did give him those documents, and I admit I had real concerns about what those documents might be turned into, or how they might be manipulated.

In regards to all of those documents, by all means provide them to any who want to look at them.  Most of those documents are public record, others could only have been gotten directly from me and no other source, since I only gave those documents to Charles, it should be clear why all of this started about Michael and the motive behind it.   There is nothing to hide in them.  In reading them the persons interested will know without a doubt that it was my error that the Maka Oyate name got associated with the Namenha, not Michael's.  It was myself that spoke with the man called Cloudpiler, not Michael.  I made the mistake and I have accepted responsibility for that even though it embarrasses me terribly.  At the time I did not know that associating with the Namenha was not a good thing, I knew very little about them, when I did find out about them I took immediate steps to disasociate them from the work I was doing.  It is true that it came after the BLM posted their information, but I cannot change that.  Some time later I was sent a link showing that they had used the Maka Oyate name without permission and I immediately requested  them to cease.  So by all means put the information out there, it will only serve to validate that it was my error and actions that show the connection between them and the Maka Oyate, not Michael's.  

You should be very careful about your statements regarding John Snyder and congressman Walden.  Once again you have taken information out of context and changed it into something it is not to try to validate your claims.  I still communicate with those individuals and actually spoke with the congressman not long ago about the land and the dance.  For any who view the documents I provided to this man, please note that all documents from congressmen, senators, state officials, BLM, and officials in Washington D.C. are on legitimate letterhead signed by those individuals.  For any other documents that may be provided to you I can not validate that they have not been tampered with or that they are an official and true part of those records.  This was a true concern when they were demanded from me.  

As for your comments regarding Martin not having a motor home in an attempt to discredit me, I can't say that the motor home belonged to Martin.  All I know is that the trailer I and others sometimes cleaned to get ready for his arrival no longer worked for Martin. It was old and falling apart.  I don't know where the motor home came from or who owned it, frankly it was not my business and I never thought to ask.  But he did arrive in camp in a motor home, stayed in it, and left in it.  Why you feel the need to discredit that is beyond me.  As for my conversation with him, it took place whether it makes you uncomfortable or not.  Yes, he was ill, yes he was on oxygen, but that did not stop him from speaking with the people over the loud speaker set up for him, nor did it stop him from speaking with myself, or others in my presence or out of my presence.  Who knew way back then that any of us would ever have to "legitimize" anything that Martin said or did.  Back then life was much simpler, and when there was an issue or conflict they followed his teachings and prayed for one another and lived in quiet.   They were not all puffed up with all this anger all the time.

It is my opinion that I do not need to protect Michael.  I think if Michael needs protecting he is quite capable of dealing with it himself.  If there were something I experienced, saw, or heard him doing/saying that I thought was inappropriate, I would state it, I have nothing to hide.  My experiences over the years and what I related are exactly as they happened and are not a retell of what someone else said to me their experience was.  I notice in your posts that you spend a lot of time stating what "others" supposedly said, but I don't see those "others" saying it.  It would be helpful if you could state what it is that you actually saw, or heard Michael do himself that supports the claim of fraud.

As for allegations of him receiving money, or people gifting money, how many elders are we asking to account for times when they have received money?  How many times have you recieved money for travel to and from ceremony?  for transmission repairs on your car? When did it become terrible for people to gift our elders or to help them out?  I never got the update that said we can no longer gift our people or help them, and if we do they will be called frauds if they accept it.

You seem to focus a lot on Michael's wife.  Truthfully I don't care who her friends were, what she wears, how they met, the details of how they got together, or what she did at pow wow's. If you don't like her simply say that and move on.

I am interested in finding out the truth about why there are these allegations of fraud and if there is any validity in them.  I respectfully requested some clarification from this site on some things, in hopes that I can get beyond the he said/she said part of all of this and understand the truth.  I'm in hopes of being able to get that information.

I also find it interesting that you waited until Red Leaf, and Highhorse had crossed over before making claims that they did not support Michael.  If you have all this knowledge of these terrible things they said then why didn't you voice them when those individuals were still here to respond?  Larry Redleaf and his wife sat in my camp and so did Al Highhorse and talked about what a great dance it was, and how they supported the ceremony and Michael.  It perplexes me to try to figure out why they would continue to come to that ceremony for so many years and speak openly about their feelings and support of Michael, if as YOU claim they did not support him or that ceremony. Larry and Al were both an integral part of those ceremonies, and they were highly respected, honored, and loved by just about everyone.  Also your statement that the Klamath tribe does not recognize Michael is without merit as well.  It was Gerald Skelton, Cultural & Heritage Preservation Director who openly spoke to BLM and other officials stating that Michael was an officially authorized and recognized representative. When you pass those documents out to everyone that information is in that material as well.

In the meantime take a deep breath and try to calm down.  Please don't twist around my lifetime to give validity to your own.  If I have misstated something or find that I was incorrect on something I will certainly take responsibility for it and apologize.  However, at this time, what I have said stands as it is, there is nothing disrespectful intended in any of it.
Title: Re: Michael Two Feathers
Post by: starboy on September 11, 2011, 06:44:54 am
knickers.. rep waldens office confirmed that john snider is not with them.. in anyway shape or form.. skelton is not with the klamath tribe either.. both stated clearly that they did not support michael.. your rambling is just that.. keep talking you say more than i can ever say.. your words reveal much of your intentions and theirs.. as for redleaf it was by his dying request.. hold a pipe in your hands when you speak ..the info i have is a complete list of all info between you and all parties at that time.. sent to me via other dancers who want this all revealed..including emails that talk about the blms stance of not wanting the dance.. sent to me without my asking ... this is not fasthorse or anyone you think that you know.. keep blaming and spreading lies .. stick to facts.. like this one from the state of rhode island.. and the dept of the interior the tribe debbie claim to be a part of is not recognized as a bona fide tribe.. " a registered Non-Profit Organization incorporated in the state of Rhode Island as the Council of Seven / Royal House of Pokanoket / Pokanoket Tribe / Wampanoag ..."

meaning it is recognized as a non profit.. not a tribe.. more lies.. so you should be careful .. deceiving a congressman is unlawful.. deceiving the blm is unlawful.. you have to remember that fasthorse was a principal writer of AIRFA and is well versed in indian law.. and as for the comment of his undermining when you check in with your handlers ask about his telliing the people each year of when fasthorse was going to take the dance back and his agreement of it.. that was what it was all about.. four fours.. the ninth year it was to be returned to tradition.. it is you who need  to calm down and remember things correctly.. your emotions are getting in the way.. i as told that people who are angry want you to see that they are powerful but people who love you want to you to see that YOU are powerful..

if you go to the first post by ingeborg you see where and when this started.. there are many people here and abroad who are revealing this.. so keep spreading gossip and lies to try to diminish  .. those tactics do not work .. any false accusations would be investigated. and the perjurer would be in trouble.. be careful. stick to facts and not the emotional payoff and you will go far.. remember there are more people who are wanting the truth than there are the handful of you trying to keep the lies.. take care ..perhaps michaels two whirlwinds are here..  

also people who are genuine native americans are doing this.. arvol sent word specifically stating that he does not support michael or the dance . godfrey six months ago stated he is glad this is being revealed.. so as all of you are concentrated on gossip and detracting attention things are being done.. so use this time to provide fact filled dialogue and not emotional tirades.. everyone who has dealt with them is used to that method.. the facts on the matter are well laid as stated by the moderator al...an opinion is not fact.... take care
 

Title: Re: Michael Two Feathers
Post by: educatedindian on September 12, 2011, 11:59:37 am

Al if you have contact with Deb TF again could you please ask her why she out and out lied about Arvol?

It's one of many questions she refuses to answer. The only one she has is the admission of no contact with the Brave Buffalo family for several decades, and insisting the Highbear family still endorses them.


Knickers/ Ki ki:

In case you hadn't noticed, the Nemenhah cult still is affiliated with MTF. They say so prominently on their site.

If you wish to prove the association is temporary, I suggest you contact Nemenhah and demand they take down the claim. And don't go telling us it's out of your hands or MTF's hands. It's the easiest thing in the world for him to put out a public statement denouncing such a claim and pointing out it's false if indeed it actually is.

I really have to wonder how it's possible for anyone to be as naive as you claim to be. To not know that Nemenhah's leader Landis/Cloudpiler's claim of being a Blackfoot healer was a lie when the Blackfoot nation publicly stated so, and when Landis has multiple convictions as a con artist...perhaps you didn't know that. But clearly they are a group which is fraudulent. They demand people pay a monthly fee. They let anyone claim to be a medicine person, even a 12 year old kid.

I don't think anyone is that blind unless they choose to be. But then again, you thought Wallace "Black Elk" was legit and you defend selling ceremony. You claim you don't see the difference between selling ceremony and paying for elders' travel expenses. Yet somehow, elders do travel to give speeches on important issues and they don't do pay to pray like MTF does. Please...you can't pretend to be that out of touch. Ceremony selling has been widely denounced ever since it started to plague Native traditions back in the 1970s.

MayI also suggest you and MTF's wife cease attacking the character of critics. It certainly undermines the claim of the Twofeathers to be spiritual people.
Title: Re: Michael Two Feathers
Post by: starboy on September 12, 2011, 03:11:00 pm
according to the internal memos of the process..ki ki was not innocent by any means.. a principal player more like.. an interesting fact.. how many of the actual community knew of this nemenhah involvment or was it kept from them? i cannot imagine them accepting it with all i have read on them..ki ki may appear to be naive but the evidence show anything but...

in the matter of fasthorse also note that for yrs mtf himself announcements that the dance was going to be turned over to him.. it was not a conspiracy.. your statement on the meeting that took place are not true and have been changed to make it appear that way.. sad .. in lakota way a bundle cannot be given to another person it loses it power if if does.. so the dance since his leaving has no power.. the people thinking they are getting a connect with them are connecting with their own fantasy..

having some real lakota endorse does not make it real for him or legitmize him.. no human is authorized to give legitmacy .. also airfa has no teeth in that region.. there is not a trust relationship with the fed gov there so you need to quit using that.

and in the matter of his heritage i have his fathers social security number.. and all census info. he is irish.. period..and as his fathers military friends who served with him say.. "an irishmans irishman".. i suggest we quit playing here and address the facts.. how lakota ways work in terms of protocol not the grabbing for straws hiding behind others and the name dropping and false accusations spread about people...
Title: Re: Michael Two Feathers
Post by: Superdog on September 12, 2011, 07:55:03 pm
From the wichozannivillage page.  Marked yesterday (September 11, 2011).

http://www.wichozannivillage.org/About_Us.php?blog_archive=2011-09

---begin quote:

Wichozanni Village is the vision of Michael and wohpe'.  They are currently working towards creating a traditional village environment for ceremonial and cultural gatherings where traditional ways of life can be continued for the future generations. 

"At Wichozanni Village, we continue to hold onto the ancient beliefs and traditions passed on to us by our family and respected tribal elders".  Michael and wohpe' are both of mixed-blood Peoples of North America, with the main traditional teachings and influences being from their Lakota heritage.  In 1994, Michael began sharing some of these teachings in Europe at the recommendation of his mentor, Martin High Bear (a lakota medicine man from Cheyenne River, SD).  In 2002 wohpe' began joining him on these annual visits adding traditional woman's teachings. wohpe' is also a tribal member of the Pokanoket/Wampanoag Federation of Rhode Island and for years has also shared the history and stories of her Wampanoag people in schools and at gatherings. They have been invited to share teachings at spiritual and cultural gatherings in Europe and other countries, as well as here on Turtle Island.

Anyone wishing to verify their credibility is welcome to contact Fred Short, Elder Keeper of the AIM Eagle Staff and Leader of the California AIM, and State of California Spiritual Liaison. XXX-XXX-XXXX

Wichozanni Village (as a non-profit organization) was established in California in 2004.           

Wichozanni Village is dedicated to the Sacred Circle as a place to find harmony through prayer, through education and through the practice of Living in Health of the Mind, Body & Spirit.

Mitakuye Oyasin (we are all relatives)

---end of quoted material---

I bolded the part that piqued my interest.  I x-out the number.  If Fred wants his number on the internet then that's on Wichozanni Village site so you'll have to follow the link if you're interested in calling.  I've seen Fred on the AIM-West website mentioned, but there isn't a mention of him as any sort of staff keeper.  Not saying that it isn't true, but it seems to be a response from Michael Two Feathers in regards to the conversation going on here.

Superdog
Title: Re: Michael Two Feathers
Post by: Superdog on September 13, 2011, 03:09:49 am
A search of Guidestar turned up nothing in regards to Wichozanni Village being a non-profit.  It's not registered as one.  The closest thing I could find was a listing for Two Feathers-NAFS out of McKinleyville, CA, but it has no names listed with it and has a note saying that it doesn't qualify.  So they definitely got some explaining to do as far as that claim.  The site says it's been registered since 2004....but once again, no Wichozanni Village (or anything close to it).

Superdog
Title: Re: Michael Two Feathers
Post by: starboy on September 13, 2011, 03:03:02 pm
in regards to a letter sent out to his community.but is not posted here...some facts for anyone who received it in email..

it was Lenus Red Feather who first asked him to go to Europe and Lenus was working with Emaho there.  Michael kinda pushed Lenus aside because he, Michael, felt that Lenus was not treating people right, so he said, but then he became the "Main Man Native" for all future events there. For some years it was Emaho who was setting up the talks and workshops and there was a lot of money involved but I don't know who it is that sets them up now.

he makes it sound like Arvol gave blanket approval for the Pilot Rock dance. We know that's not true. when martiin crossed that permission went with his bundle..it did not stay.. he claims differing years for being the head of the dance as well.. now there is 92 95 and 99..from Michael's own words that the reason he didn't go back to Mt Hood was that it was too far and much easier to just go to pilot rock which was very close to his home at the time. And he only danced three days there, quit in the afternoon of the third day.   And at Pilot Rock with Wallace he never danced more than three days, also. So he's never put in a full four day dance!

and as for the rock.. so lets see.. he is sitting with an elder who he does not know yet finds out later he is lakota.. i find it hard to believe that during the occupation of the rock a very visible and vocal time for native america the elder did not identify his tribe .. besides the fact this part of the story was never part of the original story..things keep getting added to his portfolio..
Title: Re: Michael Two Feathers
Post by: earthw7 on September 14, 2011, 07:28:39 pm
As far as my family Brave Buffalo my great great grandfather died in 1918 after having his voice
and words recorded by Francis Desmore. He never taught anyone who was not a part of my family,
he had one only one son my great grandfather and my great grandfather had one only one son so
it is very limited as to who knew about his medicine.
I also understand that Martin High Bears family from Cheyenne River did not and do not support
Micheal Two Feather use of their family name or medicine. They has asked that his last wife
not use their name or have rights to their family.
As far as Groffrey Chips he just got out of prison and does not support Michael at this time and
did not show up at the dance this year.
As Lakota people i feel we are being abuse by this family who have taken upon theirselves to steal
our family history and medicine.
Yes I did talk with Michael on the phone years ago, and i have talked with Charles Fast horse in the past
and I speak with Goffrey's son. At this point these people are abuser no matter what they try to tell us.
As Avrol said if you really want to follow this way Why are you not help the Native people on the reservations?
I ask if Micheal Two Feather can prove who he is up put it up on the site Indian country is small we will know who he is
Title: Re: Michael Two Feathers
Post by: starboy on October 06, 2011, 03:46:58 pm
interesting new things on the subject... research has reveled many things.. for one the claims of ancestry are from debbie addiing info on ancestry site and claiming them to be true.. the state dept reveals that his claim to be of spanish ancestry via an ambassodor to hawaii is not true... the alberta story was never heard until a few years ago when debbie "discovered" it.. then suddenly there were " memories" of growing up on the reservation in alberta.. this is a systematic aagenda by them to create a history of being native when they are not.. a recent message to the ceremony site from a man in italy supports them by telling how cowardly the attack onthem is when i fact the cowardice is hiding behind real native people, hiding behind AIM, creating false genealogy, claiming the status of being a recognized tribe, hiding non prfit status behind corporations that are under investigation for crimes , taking control of a ceremony email list to censor and control what is heard, blackballing former members of the communtiy who question or know the truth, these are just a few..
Title: Re: Michael Two Feathers
Post by: Dr. T Weighill on September 02, 2015, 12:08:56 am
 NO INDIANS ALLOWED!
      Charlatanism -the New Age Movement and the                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Black Market Industrialization of Native American Religious Freedom


In the summer of 2015 my family and I were assaulted at Sundance ceremony on Little Pilot Rock Oregon.  We were the only Native American Indians there.  This is an extremely sensitive and personal text for me to compose. The complexity of these issues- is deeply philosophical -ironically political-historical and potentially disempowering to many Native American Indians ourselves. Non - the less - it is an issue which needs to be brought to an open dialogue in both and academic and pragmatic sense.
Title: Re: Michael Two Feathers
Post by: Dr. T Weighill on September 02, 2015, 12:11:31 am
no Indians allowed continued by dr. t weighill


Let me define a few concepts as to how I have been cultured to view them.  Firstly- my presentation of -Indian.  Colonization certainly has created a diaspora in the Indian experience- one which we are still struggling to negotiate the boundaries of- within the fabric of our individual tribal traditions.  So, totalizing the definition of ourselves is dangerous to our future, but more important, it is disrespectful of the trauma we share as a commonality in our contemporary cultural historic production.  What or who then is Indian... is issue one. 

There are two major categories of Indian in the United States: federally recognized and non- federally recognized.  Though -certainly the experientiality of the diaspora is quantifiably larger.  Indianness as an experience in the United States is inclusive of Canadian Indians as well as, Indians from Mexico to South America... we exist from one end of the hemisphere to the other and we have always interacted ... from one end to the other.  We have never lived in isolated vacuum-packed boxes.  The complexity of our pre-colonial customs is vast and in part- our contemporary working definition of Indianness is a bona fide connection to those pre-colonial customs.

When traveling from territory to territory we -Indians have always honored certain protocols amongst ourselves.  These protocols engage us -in a commonality of cultural/ experiential frameworks.  Frameworks and experiences which help us negotiate relationships between ourselves and the rest of the polyverse.  In other words, knowing your place is a primary component of most every Aboriginal culture- and- it is through these protocols that cultural boundaries are established and that place is determined.  The first question any Indian asks another is: who is your family?  The hidden implication behind the question is- back home where you say you come from do they know you.  And- secondly can you sing your songs and do you know your language of the tribe you claim you are.  We never ask to see your federal enrollment number.  That tribal enrollment number is not our culture - that is the cloak of colonization.  We ask simply- who is your family?  A powerful question with heavy implications.  From one end of the hemisphere to the other this question validates the traditional families simply because Indianness is predicated on our communal bonds. 

In the United States, Indian is about the allocation of resources and rights.  And from this positionality we see the definition of federally recognized Indian.  While the nomenclature (federally recognized) is inarguably reductive -essentializing and minimalistic -federal recognition is a necessary construction to protect what little we have left -of- our world.  Federal recognition creates a social political space for- protecting the ability of all within the diaspora to practice our Aboriginal cultures and- for us to exist within those ways of life.  The space created by federal recognition is not for determining who is and who is not Indian -we know who we are.  It is a space created for our protection from prosecution and exploitation by others.  Federal recognition while inarguably based on iniquitous xenophobic definitions of the other- pejoratively aimed at us Aboriginal Peoples of the Western Hemisphere- is the tool which interfaces with the colonial forces -the United States- for the entire diaspora.

The fabric of the diaspora is in part woven with the erasure of the colonized "Other"(s) individualized memory.  To clarify - many Native American Indians, because of the colonizing practice of "civilizing" us, were stripped of their memory -the connection to their pre-colonial roots was severed.  Many genealogical and cultural connections- of Aboriginals Peoples from the U. S. -have been dismantled through the colonizing trajectory.  To combat that erasure in the contemporary period a pan Indian cultural practice organically emerged with the period of activism in the 1960-70s.  In the cultural social space of the era carved out by pan Indian activism many found their memory and their roots and began the mending of those roots.  It was also an entry point- for many non - Indians into our world. 

The non-Indian "Other" has always had a morose exotification with us and our world -a genocidal attempt on one hand, and a mimetic exotification on the other.   In the modern era Indigenous beliefs from around the world have been the object of mimetic appropriation.  And, it is because of this cultural appropriation that we find the need within the experiential definition of Indian (that is the lived reality of our being Indian) to create an interface between the colonizing forces and our worlds.  But, to say I am Indian is to engage yourself somewhere within the framework of our common experience as a force of resistance and survival.  The diaspora has created many spaces of contention by which the social political power within the space is able to be engaged.   And, because - the entirety of the nomenclature Indian- finds its axis resting between inorganic xenophobic definitions of Racialization and Otherness- and our self-preservation and our self-determination as a Peoples Aboriginal to this land- We- create the boundaries of that framework.  It is easy to say I am Indian because the diaspora is historically positioned the way it is - making appropriation of our cultures easy prey for -Charlatans and New Agers.

Hiding behind the affects of the colonizing trajectory - the ignorance of others and romantic definitions of us (Indians) which, find their origins in the European aristocratic culture of the 1600s- my next definition of deconstruction is Charlatanism.  In the simplest of terms, a charlatan is one who falsely attempts to engage the cultural framework - falsely engages the political/historic diaspora for personal gain.  Operating on the narrative of the romantic noble savage, Charlatans mimetically perform at the intersection between fictive narrative and experiential fantasy -to an audience of the colonizing "Other," tickling nostalgically the imaginary of the non –Indian, while simultaneously inviting them into the inner sanctum of the Indian world.  This invitation intersects poly-strategically between archaic tenants of the colonizing mind and its invented narrative of the colonized "Other". 

Articulating within the European value system- Charlatans- juxtapose their performance against primitivizing signifiers which always already places the colonizer at the apex of colonizing/colonizer binary hierarchy.   Signifiers such as memorized and mimetically performed monologues - speech patterns - feathers - Indianized jewelry- Indianized tattoos -stoic names (and much more), all aimed at authenticating the Charlatan through the performativity of an identity construction.  The charlatan’s performance operates by triggering a series of conditioned responses from the audience.  Responding to codified symbols ripped from the master narrative of the colonized "Other" the audience at this late stage of the colonizing trajectory is psychologically conditioned to accept these signifiers as props of authentication- upholding the performance as a bona fide Indian experience. 

Charlatans Industrialize Indianness from an exterior positionality.  That is to say their performances fall short when delivered to an audience organically constructed within traditional cultural frameworks of- Indianness.  When pushed- traditional protocols and methodology, which assure veracity of a tribal claim, most often fails the charlatan -exposing their motivation.  Now, I say most often -as some charlatans are indeed Indians themselves yet operate outside the boundaries of their own tribal traditions- these charlatans are easy to spot.  They will be the only or one of a few "real" Indians (supporting actors) surrounding the performance.  The motivational analysis of the performer is usually power over human lives and money-both of which are antithetical to traditional Aboriginal -value system.

The role of the Charlatan may shift to accommodate the situation-however- the script stays the same- the supporting characters will stay the same and the signifiers will all stay the same- it is this way because they are all extracted from the master narrative.  In the fantasy of American conquest the minds of the benefactors to the genocide are marred by their privilege.  The colonizing mind suffers in reflection to the colonized mind- it is a vicious binary.  The resolution by both to neutralize each other is nearly predictable.  Neither the colonizing mind nor the colonized mind is able to free themselves from each other- so in the daily durèe of our lives we confront behavior which is governed by the limitations of this binary.  Charlatanism is a predatory identity performance conditioned by both side of this mentally confabulated coin.  It reflects the need to dominate as much as the need to submit.  In other words, the Charlatan cannot exist without followers and the followers cannot exist without the Charlatan- both are inventions of each other.

The most common of these performances is the role of medicine man.  This role places our ceremonial realities at the centrifuge of the performance while framing ceremonial structures as signifying stage props to support the mimetic movement of the performance.  Finding its modus operandi aligned with the Christian ecumenical movement of the 1930's and hippie movement of the 1960's, the followers of the Charlatan are in every way conditioned by their privilege.  The move to synchronize global religiosity has been called the "New Age" it is the evolutionary miscegenation of dominant world religions.  The early Kabalistic astronomers prophesized an age when mankind would re-unify our three-dimensional world with the ethereal world -this time they called the "Age of Aquarius".  A millennial shift in consciousness and action, the "Age of Aquarius" ushered in a "new age".  An age where "man is one and god is one" and the binding religious dogma is dropped to just "pray to spirit".  In other words "new ageism" seeks to abandon spiritual discipline to accommodate modernity, an age of spiritually motivated passivism where the theoretical framing of differences is erased- the age of privilege and escapism.

New agers are simply members of the colonizing mindset operating within an escapist fantasy that is afforded them because they are the benefactors to the global genocide on Aboriginal Peoples.  As did their antecedents, "new agers" negotiate their presence in the Indian world- through a series of disingenuous dialogical relationships- shifting power dynamics till they have reproduced a simulacra of western social hegemony within a pseudo Indian culture, securing their place at the zenith of the power structure - the lived fantasy of conquest - in this case spiritual conquest.  Conquest, the expression of western culture, finds its space of cultural reproduction in the liminal spaces between episodic performances charlatanism.  Driven by the culturalized conditions of the colonizing mind- new ageism is merely an affiliated institution of oppression- an apparatus by which colonization intended to disrupt and distort traditional Native American Indian spiritual practices and bonds.  In short, hidden behind the peace love and patchouli oil- new agers- serve the colonizing enterprise in the attempts to conquer the spiritually of our Indian worlds.  The relationship between charlatanism and new ageism is inextricable and creates a simulacrum of western religiosity while mimetically performing Indian spirituality -absent the actual bodies of real Indian Peoples.  And, like everything in western culture- the performance of Indian spirituality- controlled by the boundaries of western religion is commoditized.

The commodification of Indian spirituality between Charlatan and new age follower comes in many forms- the wholesale of ritual performances as well as, ceremonial items such as eagle feathers, bone whistles, sacred pipes, ritual attire, ritual knowledge- all with the attempt to mimetically perform Indianness in absent of the actualized Indian body.  This morose exotification is not new- Indianness has been sold to Europe and Euro-America since John Smith and Pocahontas- since Buffalo Bill’s Wild West.  The identity performance of Indianness today is taken right out of the pages of his-story.  The script today engages the same principals of purity and authenticity and romantic exotification of the "Other" that were employed by the Orientalizing schema of the old west.

Having academically laid the parameters of definition for this text, let me now move towards an experiential or pragmatic expression of these social political mimetic cultural appropriating performances of Indianness.  Let me now tell you the story of my experience with these culture vultures- Charlatans and New Agers.   

In the winter of 1993 I along with several elders and other community activist began working on a project entitled- center for the S.P.I.R.I.T. - an acronym for Support and Protection of Indian Religions and Indigenous Traditions Center for the S.P.I.R.I.T. Its vision statement was as clear as the name-to lend support and to protect our Indian ways of life.  A non-official branch of the American Indian Movement, the center focused its efforts on stopping charlatans and new agers.  In those days a man named Charlie Swift Deer Reagan was operating in the San Francisco bay area selling what he called quadoshka ceremonies.  Quadoshka ceremonies, according to Swift Deer, were ancient Cherokee love ceremonies.  The Center for the S.P.I.R.I.T. found out where Swift Deer and his followers were gathering so, we went and brutally tore down his ceremony grounds and ran them off.

Before we left our SF office we had a conference call with Clyde Belcourt, one of the founders of AIM, who told us that we should protect our ways of life ... Great Mystery gave these ways to us to keep our Peoples alive.  If we allow charlatans and new agers in to our ceremonies they will take over and pretty soon, Indians will be seeing signs that say "NO Indians Allowed" and they will use their structure to still our way of life... This conversation has stayed in my mind since then. 

As a young man growing up in the American Indian Movement I was raised to hold all our traditions with reverence and respect.  Raised in the traditions of the Buffalo Calf Pipe, it is the way of life I live and have always lived -it’s a way of life that has given me many personal lessons and responsibilities.  These lessons and responsibilities led me to Little Pilot Rock, Oregon- a place that in my young life I had a very profound connection with.  As a young man I was with a delegation of Lakota elders -spiritual leaders and warriors.  We had gone to Little Pilot Rock Oregon to ask the Sundance held there be stopped.  The ceremony had been started by Wallace Black Elk and Martin High Bear -we were sent to ask them to stop in part because- the ceremonial protocol had been ignored- and in part because the veracity of the ceremony was in question, as none of the practitioners were Indian. 

23 years later I returned to Little Pilot Rock to find the situation had in my opinion gone from bad to worse.  Let me qualify that statement.  The same ethnic dynamic had lingered since the days of Wallace and Martin, as well as the same lack of concern for ceremonial protocol, but- at least Martin High Bear and Wallace Black Elk were Lakota.  The man currently leading the performance Mike O’Brien aka Two Feathers (publically in Europe) claims to be Lakota but is not.  By his admittance to me he identified his mother as Apache/Hawaiian and his father as Irish.  The Lakota Nation has asked him on several occasions to stop representing himself as Lakota and stop running that ceremony.  He has ignored that request.  So, not only are the practitioners non-Indian - ill prepared - the leader of the "ceremony" and his wife are non- Indian People- they altered the ceremony to accommodate their European value system.

I met Mike O’Brien at his sweat lodge on his 129 acre ranch in Butte county California in late winter of 2012.  Like most Charlatans, he is very charismatic and likeable- so building a rapport with him was quick and easy.  Within a few months of knowing him- he approached me- wanting me to sell a few pounds of Cannabis for him (a business I used to be in).  When I refused, Mike became increasingly more tense with me until I agreed -unsuccessfully.  For two years (012-015) I attended sweat ceremony with him at his home in Concow, California.  During that period I was usually the only Indian person at the ceremonies (with the exception of one or two others that would come on occasion).  And, during this time there were many relaxed conversations which occurred (before the men would enter the lodge) some pleasant, some not so much.  Many white men of all walks of life I did meet there- I found it amusing in a strange way to see these men playing Indian (I kept thinking this is what the Boston tea party must have looked like) - in retrospect- my presence provoked both a sense of exotification and a threat to the individual spaces these men had carved out for themselves in their mimetic appropriation of the Lakota sweat lodge ceremony. 
Title: Re: Michael Two Feathers
Post by: Dr. T Weighill on September 02, 2015, 12:12:44 am
no Indians allowed continued.....


Now if my presence alone stirred their insecurities and exotification, bringing my family around the O’Brien aka Two Feathers camp only exacerbated their strange behavior of exotifying my wife and two children for their beauty on one hand, while filled with anger- mistrust and insecurities on the other at the sight of me.  During that time, my family and I were cussed out by a white anthropologist for invalidating his monologue on the worth of DNA testing and his lack of "Indian" knowledge and insulted by a gaggle of white women because my wife refused to speak or sweat with them or agree with their white western feminist perspective on womanhood.  We were the subject of many after-hours dialogues amongst the O’Briens and their new age supporter/participants.

I had been led to the mountain to sun dance and though I remembered Mike O’Brien from my first visit 23 years earlier, my presence was to say wopila to the mountain and dance and pray.   While there I realized I was there for a whole different reason -the mountain called me there -made me sad.  It made me sad to see the way of life that cost my People so much was being used by this white man to make money and practiced by white people for their morbid recreation.  I saw enough to see that our way of life is being disrespected desecrated and commoditized by Mike O’Brien and his wife Beverly.  I realized the reason I was there was to expose this behavior and protect the ceremonial way of my People.  I got to say thank you to the mountain for 2 years as I sun danced at Little Pilot Rock.

I am an Indian, I have a big family, we are traditional Peoples so- of course my family came to support me, it’s our way.  When my 70 year old full blood Chumash Indian mother showed up she was aghast at the amount of white People.  Now my Inna even at 70 plus years old is very outspoken (typical AIMster) and especially about non-Indians at Indian ceremony- so she caused quite a ruckus on the mountain.  I became a little unnerved at the disrespect she was receiving and the fact the Mike O’Brien refused to put his white followers in line and actually encouraged them.  The disrespect reached its zenith when Beverly O’Brien began instructing my mom on how to be an Indian woman and what Indian culture is and how proper Indian women were supposed to act.  Over hearing their conversation from my tent I was jaw dropped at Mike O’Brien’s wife’s words.  My Inna on the other hand handled it was grace ... patronizing Beverly O’Brien with a courteous: "Oh after 70 years I been doing it all wrong- I’m sorry?  Thank you so much -I am glad you came to speak with me".   Beverly O’Brien fell ill that year and blamed it on my Inna. 

The second year I danced there the O’Briens began to act increasingly more disingenuous- agitated and hostile towards my family.  I danced anyway, though I had been told many times in the lodge by the tunkas that I would not be dancing there all four years, I saw it as a test of my commitment, and so I stayed focused on my prayers and danced.  On the third day of the ceremony I heard these words from the tree: "Look around you.... there is no power here... look at the tree there is no power here".  It took seven tries till I broke free from the tree.  I tried four times by myself - three times Mike O’Brien and his Jewish helper Curly had to grab my arms to break me free.  When I came out of the arbor after the dance, I found my wife and children both had been abused all four days of the ceremony.  Beverly O’Brien and a few other white women had initiated verbal assaults- attacks on my wife’s character, and finally she was physically attacked while at the dance arbor, again-all in front of my two young children.  As I was leaving the arbor I heard a voice tell me- button down stay to your family don’t mix with those people.  My family looked notably abused by the O’Briens; it took me the whole year to heal my babies from the trauma.  Leaving Little Pilot Rock that year I told my wife Victoria... "I don’t think I am coming back up here next year- the tree told me I was done".  She adamantly said to me: "No! We will not let these white people have our way of life! You will finish your commitment there.  I am not afraid of any of them!"  With those words in my head, I drove the 9 miles down the mountain -slowly putting it all in perspective. 

We stayed to ourselves my family and I, for the year as I was instructed.  Around January of 2015- I was contacted by a relative from South Dakota in regards to Mike and Beverly O’Brien, after which the true nature of the O’Briens’ character began to emerge.  I was informed that Chief Arvol Looking Horse, the 19 generation keeper of the Sacred Bundle, wanted to pray and speak with O’Brien.  I was also informed that his (O’Brien’s) role as the "spiritual advisor" of the dance was in question.  I was asked to try and arrange a meeting with Mike and Chief Arvol...so, I loaded my canumpa and I went to speak with O’Brien in private at his home.

O’Brien until that time had claimed that his right to run the ceremony was given to him by Martin High Bear, who he said was his adopted father... the High Bear Family declined that right and said he had no connection to Martin and did not have the right -to claim him as a hunka father or to run the ceremony.  And, as per Martin High Bear’s own request, only someone from South Dakota was to use the High Bear altar.  O’Brien then claimed - Godfrey Chips' altar, proclaiming Godfrey had given it to him in front of his other helpers (Obrien was one of his helpers).  The Chips family, like the High Bear family, also denied OBrien's claim. 

This was the conversation we had while smoking my canumpa.  He claimed that he had gone to pray over the pipe and speak with Arvol and asked permission to innercess the ceremony 15 years before.  I explained that elders and prominent spiritual leaders in South Dakota have asked that he stop going to Europe and representing himself as a Lakota unless he can document his family.  I explained -that the High Bear Family has asked that you quit using his name and the Chips Family has asked the same.  I pointed out traditional chief -they asked- that you stop representing yourself as one.  They asked that you stop wearing the Wapaha (a feather head dress only worn by chiefs).  As part of his performance, O’Brien wears a Wapaha he purchased on the black market for several thousand dollars.  He was not made a chief and is not recognized by the Lakota Peoples in this capacity or by any traditional spiritual leaders.   Consequently- he does not have the right to wear the Wapaha.  The Wapaha is however- a very productive stage prop for him.
 
The conversation continued in their house till 4 am.  During the grueling 14 hour talk, O’Brien had no defense for his self-misrepresentation.  He quietly shut down in his chair, and Beverly O’Brien began to talk.  She began first by qualifying herself as a Lakota, noting that she found her Lakota link on a "half breed" reservation that existed in Nebraska 300 years ago… (a period long before both the state of Nebraska and the reservation system existed).  Apparently on this mythic "half breed" reservation, the full bloods had "sold them out to the white man" and this made her upset she claimed.  She then informed me about her Wampanoag medicine woman who she flew out to meet 20 years prior and how her great-great-great grandparents were Wampanoag Indians.  She found out she was Indian when she worked on the Paradise California Pow Wow Committee -12 years ago -so that is how long she has been Indian.  Before that she was admittedly taken by the power of her Christian minister father who "could organize large meetins".  She is as much a charlatan as her husband, and she holds a deep rooted hatred for Indian People in general but- Indian women specifically -this became increasingly visible and she continued on into the night.   

I finally had enough of listening to Beverly O’Brien tell me about how all the respected Indian spiritual leaders had gone to Europe and raped white women in the sweat lodge and how she was there to heal all these women.  I had enough of hearing about how Chief Arvol Looking Horse was a fraud - and about how dysfunctional Lakota Peoples are-about the evils of Lakota men (as my two young sons sat listening feeling the emotional thrashing by Beverly O’Brien for being both male and Lakota).  My wife and children and I had had enough of being subjected to fictive decontextualized versions of Lakota culture and the subservient role of women in Indian (Lakota) culture.  She informed us that she was told to bring back the women’s spiritual culture to Lakota way of life and that she was to teach Indian women these things they obviously forgot.  At which point I laughed out loud at her and asked her if she wanted me to introduce her to my Lakota grandmother and her cousins.  I sarcastically asked her if she ever heard of the Jesus complex.  In short, I left vowing never to go back into that house.  Mike O’Brien sat listening silent to her babble while I continually deflected her barrage of insults to my relatives and my tribe.  I finally left saying: "wow you don’t like Indians very much ... you especially seem to dislike Lakota, both men and women.  But you seem to want to one of us really bad.  You’re very confused- you speak this about us in public; that saddens and angers me".     

Shortly after that episode the O’Briens left to Europe to sell our culture.  The next time I would see them would be at year 3 of my commitment up on the mountain.  I went up early so that I could go up on the hill and hamblechiya.  Arvol had told me to put myself up and pray so I did.  When I refused O’Brien’s help and the help of his followers, they became aggravated.  As purification time came and the camp filled with people and the dancers began to prepare, tension through the camp increased.  Fueled by the BLM's original declination of the special use permit- the tree at the center of the arbor had been leaning heavy to the north nearly touching the ground- a bad sign the O’Briens deliberately ignored and refused to talk about.  I had still as of then not spoken to Mike O’Brien since I left his house four months earlier.  Though the signs were that O’Brien, his wife and closest followers were now concerned about my presence and my connections to Chief Arvol and other prominent spiritual leaders of the Lakota Nation.  To combat all these accusations the O’Briens staged a performance in front of last year’s sacred tree that was leaning and nearly touching the ground in the arbor. 

Calling all the members of the camp together the O’Briens sat at the center of the arbor.  While there, he had Rose High Bear- Martin’s wife speak for him.   Now in the tradition of Sundance I was raised in, when a man asks a woman to speak for him, it means he doesn’t have the strength or confidence to speak and has no male that would speak for him.  In short he is a coward.  But bear in mind, my family and I were the only Indians in camp so- no one but us saw this.  All of the non-Indian followers of the O’Briens viewed it as an act of humility and validation.  Here was Martin High Bear’s last wife speaking up for Mike, explaining that Martin had always seen him as a son (a statement contrary to other made by her the previous year).  Rose High Bear was very clever about confabulating her image of Mike O’Briens' right to innercess the ceremony.  She spoke of the Chips family and in both imaginaries she pointed out that Mike was only using his bundle.  In very clever stoic words she in the eyes of the mostly European attendees she validated Mike O'Briens' right to innercess.  Of Course she is not Lakota and not Indian either though she claims be Alaskan Native.  Besides the O’Briens and their non-Indian Helpers, no one but I knew the conversation between Lenus Redfeather and I about the High Bear family and the Chips Family and Arvol denouncing him.  Next to the center stage was Beverly Obrien, and she began to speak of the virgin ceremony that she was re-introducing to the Sundance ceremony because she said women have been left out of the occasion and that she, as a Lakota Dakota and Nakota woman, was concerned about the virgin energy of the young women.  She then asked Rose High Bear to speak for her on this.  Mike O’Brien spoke again, saying: "We Lakota fought hard to preserve this way of life but back home they are all dysfunctional so we have to help them".  Afterwards, the drum with about 8 white guys tried to sing a song.  It was terrible; they could not even remember the words.  So, Mike sits down like he is the expert come to save them… after about 10 minutes of them floundering and not being able to remember the song, I step up and started it for them.  A pow wow song- All My Relations honor song- that he has them sing to honor the ancestors.  When he couldn’t remember the song, I and the delegation from Canada said: “oh, the spirit left.”  When the song was done Mike O’Brien shed a crocodile tear.  Looked just like Iron Eyes Cody in the Keep American Beautiful campaign.  It was a touching conclusion to the show.  This performance was then done specifically for us.  This was done because I had a delegation of recognized leaders from Canada who had come to support my family camp.  And, this threatened the O’Briens terribly.   

Finally - later on that evening after sweat, as I was exiting the lodge and shaking and hugging the dancers, I was assaulted from behind.  When I went to defend myself the mob of white dancers surrounded me.  My two young sons who had been in the lodge with me witnessed the attack and the response and ran to our camp in fear of their lives, screaming.  Mike Obrien was made of aware of it and first refused to mitigate the issue.  So, I got in my truck to call the police when I was stopped by a man calling himself Deer Heart, sticking his hands and body in my window and preventing me from leaving camp.  As I approached the gate O’Brien’s security officer had his truck parked in front of the gate, preventing me from leaving.  I was forced to return to the main camp where I found my two sons crying and shaking uncontrollably in fear of their lives and worried sick for their father.  They were with two elders that had come to support my family prayer at the dance.  O’Brien came to the camp concerned that I had called the cops when I informed him that Deer Heart and the security held me captive and prevented me from calling he remarked "good I called down and asked them to hold you".  He then began to try and switch the blame of the confrontation on to me.  When I would not accept it he began to try and offer a solution of me smoking with the man who assaulted me.  The protocol would have been to have the man bring me tobacco and apologize and leave the ceremony grounds. I told him that if that man was here in the morning I would be gone. So, he set up a situation knowing I would not comply and leave.  With me and my camp gone he and his wife could freely perform their charlatanizing roles as the great white savior of the dysfunctional Lakota and the rest of the Lakota nation.

In any culture issues between two men is between those two men.  In the Lakota culture this is especially true and any Sundance leader should know that.  Early the next day –O’Brien assembled his village of white European new agers playing Indian -had the violent white man who had attacked me load his pipe and wait on his knees in front of the sweat lodge.  He then came to my camp and tried to rush me to the center stage leaving my wife and family and supporters in our camp (they quickly caught up).  On the way down he nervously with trembling shaking hands tells me I am trying to protect your children... I had to stop at that point I could not walk any further.  In front of his new age followers I asked him what did he mean by that.  Then I saw the man who assaulted me on his knees holding his pipe.  So, I took the opportunity to speak to all of them!  When I looked at them they bowed their heads and I spoke: “I told you I would not dignify that man by praying with my Peoples’ sacred Canumpa.  I was the only Indian in that lodge and while still in prayer I was assaulted from behind by that coward and the rest of you white People let him do it and prevented me from leaving and from protecting myself.  While me children watched on.  Had I done that to one of you white People I would be sitting in the Ashland Jail for assault.  I told you I wouldn't smoke with him!  You set this meeting up because you want us to leave without asking us to leave.  This is not the protocol of solution in our culture... I have been trying to teach my children to get along with the white man and now you put my work back to the beginning -you all have showed my children not to trust you -not to let your people in our ceremony... since you are obviously ignorant to our culture let me tell you - the solution is to ask him to leave - you would have a better chance of him bringing me tobacco and having him lick the dust of the bottom of my boot then to ask me to forgive him and smoke the canumpa with him.  You and your group of new agers are just here playing Indian and you don’t have the right to hold this ceremony you know it and I know it! I can see inside your heart there is only the love of money in there!"  I then turned and left -went to my camp packed up and left with the only Indian People in the camp.  O'Brien stood there in front of his supporters crying as though something had happened to him... that was a tool for turning the direction to make them feel sorry for him.  The Indians there saw him as a fool as I do.

Can you imagine if a non-Jewish person decided to erect a temple and claim to be a rabbi and engaged in a rant about the dysfunction of the Jewish People and then began a decontextualized monologue of the Torah while dressing and behaving in an Americanized stereotype of Jewish People -to a group gentiles- who themselves were performing the same stereotypes.  That in short is what Mike O’Brien aka -Two Feathers- and his wife Beverly aka Whope are in the industry of.   The sad thing of it is that the non-Indians -follow these kinds of folks to their graves as was the case in Sedona Arizona -not long ago.
Title: Re: Michael Two Feathers
Post by: Dr. T Weighill on September 02, 2015, 12:14:11 am
no Indians allowed continues by dr. t weighill


I want to return now to the definition of charlatanism and point out that true leaders of our People come from within our communities and rise from amongst us.  These organic leaders are aware innately of the troubles we face as a community in our quest of the future.   They would never publicly speak pejoratively of our Peoples. The actions of these leaders are driven by the needs of the Peoples of the community. There is not performativity in their actions. The actions of our bona fide Indian leaders are of advocacy for a better future.  Charlatans are absent this ability to see the needs of the community.  In this case both Beverly and Mike Obrien both- Like all charlatans constantly find the need to validate their Indianness and right to hold ceremony.  This validation for the O'Briens comes in the form of fictive relationships and ties to South Dakota and the Lakota ceremonial life.  Helimina (last name unknown-from Rose Bud S.D.) and her son come to support him.  Their relationship is his only contact to South Dakota- relationships he uses to validate and elevate himself.   He frequently uses this relationship as a backdrop in the script of dysfunctionality -complaining of alcoholic behavior and their request for money (the great white savior to the rescue).  Charlatans such as Mike and Beverly Obrien have no way of proving their claim to the Lakota Nations.  Mike Obrien like many other non-Indian peoples found their way into our world in the 1960 civil rights movement.  Dodging the draft of the Vietnam war, he vagrantly hitch-hiked across the country.  Poor and hungry without a space in the world he predatiously eked out a place in our community -because we are accepting of all people.   

None of the spiritual elders from the Lakota Nations recognize him or her and no other nation claims them.   Beverly Obrien is a white woman who was raised the daughter of a white Christian minister.  Their performance as Indian medicine peoples is only performed for white people.  All the events they attend are non-Indian sponsored events. They never address Indian Peoples and never attend bona fide Indian events.  Beverly is a walking stereotype of a new age white woman.  She wears Indian earrings wears her hair in braids and runs around in a skirt and shawl -she holds Lakota sweats for women- where she teaches things in here lodges like "women are not supposed to pray with tobacco".  "the men are supposed to honor virgins at Sundance".  She can’t speak a word of Lakota or any other Indian language- has been Indian for 12 years.  She met Mike at a sweat lodge ceremony and has never interacted with any other natives...now she is a medicine woman has had no women elder teachers but is now bringing back the ancient Lakota women’s medicine.  When asked about her Indian roots and community she has non -except the fictive genealogy chart she herself did.   They have industrialized ceremony through a performance called- medicine man and because they are positioned outside any bona fide Indian community they exist outside the traditional cultural framework of- Indianness.





Title: Re: Michael Two Feathers
Post by: Dr. T Weighill on September 02, 2015, 12:24:12 am
these two are classic charlatans.. who have conned their way through Europe. they have been asked many times by the Lakota nation elders the priniciple chief and pipe carrier Arvol Looking Horse to stop.  while mike might be indian of some kind not one tribe claims him. and his wife is just a plain ordinary new age wanna be white woman who is stereo typical in every way of these kinds of wanna be types. please read the article I wrote on mine and my families experience with these two sham-man. They both claimed to be Lakota but have nothing to substantiate their claim. they originally claimed to have grampa high bears alter but the high bear family asked them to stop that claim and denounced them then they claimed to have godfrey chips alter and the chips family said they did not have that claim. so now they are claiming he has his own alter.  he is irish she is white. they have no connection to our People at all. the only person that was Lakota was hellemina the elder who they pimp to give them credibility. my family and I were literally the only Indians there. most of the dancers come from Europe cause they pay for the right to dance I saw many transactions to attest to this. envelopes of money. given to him by certain rich euros. please read the article I have filed a suit in federal court to stop them before we end up with another Sedona and these two kill someone for their lack of  connection and knowledge. anyone who has had similar experiences to mine and my families I encourage you to join me in my suit. thank you Dr. Tharon Paul Weighill sr. Tribal enrollment number 0408.
in spirit   
Title: Re: Michael Two Feathers
Post by: earthw7 on September 02, 2015, 03:42:41 pm
I wish there was a like button thank you Dr T Weighill
Title: Re: Mike O'brien AKA Michael Two Feathers
Post by: earthw7 on September 03, 2015, 02:18:48 pm
thank you educated indian for moving this post to its proper place
Title: Re: Mike O'brien AKA Michael Two Feathers
Post by: Piff on January 11, 2017, 07:04:27 pm
C2654525    WICHOZANNI VILLAGE

Registration Date: 05/12/2004
Jurisdiction: CALIFORNIA
Entity Type: DOMESTIC NONPROFIT
Status: ACTIVE
Agent for Service of Process: WOHPE TWO FEATHERS
12565 RIM ROAD
OROVILLE CA 95965
Entity Address: *
Entity Mailing Address: P.O. BOX 4162
OROVILLE CA 95965

This corporation has active status, they have submitted their paperwork properly for the last two years.

Uploaded here are two photos from summer 2015:  https://www.facebook.com/pg/nimbus.co.at/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1288276844546142
Title: Re: Mike O'brien AKA Michael Two Feathers
Post by: Piff on January 11, 2017, 07:11:47 pm
Here is Michael D. O'Brien's father William George O'Brien http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&amp;GRid=105523798&amp;ref=acom

The U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010 reports his service:

Name   William Obrien
Gender   Male
Birth Date   7 Oct 1925
Death Date   16 Mar 1994

Branch 1   NAVY
Enlistment Date 1   18 Oct 1942
Release Date 1   17 Apr 1946
Branch 2   ARMY
Enlistment Date 2   30 Oct 1952
Release Date 2   30 Apr 1953
Branch 3   ARMY
Enlistment Date 3   10 Apr 1964
Release Date 3   31 Jan 1986

Michael D. O'Brien may not have been raised by his father for his entire childhood. His mother Dolores Dorothy Garcia remarried when he was young.

Michael's father and paternal grandfather are listed white in records.
Title: Re: Mike O'brien AKA Michael Two Feathers
Post by: Piff on January 11, 2017, 07:35:17 pm
Here is Michael D. O'Brien's mother's obit http://www.thepilot.com/obituaries/dolores-franciullo/article_399d2f40-9ab0-11e5-b463-3783fa2fc15a.html The obit has some inaccuracies. But this obit combined with other records is very helpful.

Michael's mother Dolores Dorothy Garcia was born in Manila, Philippines. She and William George O'Brien married in Manila in 1946. At the time of her naturalization petition to become a citizen of the United States, they had four children with them:

Michael D born 10/7/48 Ft McKinley Philippines
Leilani born 1951 Los Angeles
Susan and Sharon, twins, born 1953 Los Angeles

We can match that to her children named in obit:

Quote
mother of five children: Michael Two-Feathers, Leilani O’Brien Taylor, Susan O’Brien Kingsley Frakes, Sharon O’Brien Belvin

Michael appears to use a different birthdate now than what is listed on his mother's naturalization application.
Title: Re: Mike O'brien AKA Michael Two Feathers
Post by: Piff on January 11, 2017, 07:40:10 pm
Quote
Dolores Franciullo

Dolores Luwani Mendiola Garcia O’Brien Franciullo passed away Saturday, Nov. 21, 2015, in San Diego, after a long period of decline. She was 90 years old.

Mrs. Franciullo was married to John Franciullo for 57 years, and was the mother of five children: Michael Two-Feathers, Leilani O’Brien Taylor, Susan O’Brien Kingsley Frakes, Sharon O’Brien Belvin and Johnny Franciullo. Mrs. Franciullo was the grandmother of seven: Christopher Frakes, Nahele Two-Feathers, Tashena Two-Feathers Thornburg, Laramie N. Taylor, Vestal C. “O’Brien” Taylor IV, Brianna Belvin and Priscilla Two-Feathers; and four great-grandchildren: Zoee Frakes, Lilianna Thornburg, Paisley Frakes and Corbin Thornburg.

She is survived by her husband, children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and in-laws, Vestal C. “Pat” Taylor III, Wohpe Two-Feathers, Brad Thornburg and Nicole Manuel Frakes.

Mrs. Francuillo lived a long and colorful life. Born in Honolulu, she was raised in the islands. She moved to the Philippines just before World War II and joined the Red Cross, where she served with the famous Red Cross nurses during the war. In 1945 she was awarded a Bronze Star by Gen. Douglas MacArthur for bravery for her service with the Philippine underground army.

http://www.thepilot.com/obituaries/dolores-franciullo/article_399d2f40-9ab0-11e5-b463-3783fa2fc15a.html

Refer to the prior forum post for some clarifications of this obit, as seen in her naturalization petition.
Title: Re: Mike O'brien AKA Michael Two Feathers
Post by: Piff on January 11, 2017, 07:49:20 pm
A Facebook post from July 2016, written by a woman:

Quote
Good Morning.... Just finished sundance at Pilot Rock last Friday. Been coming to Pilot Rock for many years to sing. Thank you to all the people who came this year.
Thank you to Michael Two-Feathers for creating a space that includes EVERYONE. That the leaders of this dance opened further in their lives because of your leadership, therefore, passing that inclusive energy down allowing us all to experience a LARGE family dance in harmony with good will toward each other like never before for the 5 days I was there.
Thank you Wohpe Two-Feathers for your prompt responsible responses with messages on the computer or phone calls throughout the year that people knew what to do because of your communications with hundreds of people and we were all in sync and not wondering till the last minute. Thank you for your female energy in camp and you kindness that made us all feel so welcome by you.
Thank you Jimmy Coldiron for your drum leadership and creativity with the drum and songs that got carried to the dancers.Thank you for allowing ALL men on the drum and helping in a way create more of a bond and inclusion with each other by your example and because of your actions. Thank you for your patience and kindness that was a beautiful example of a tight family that allows for peoples imperfections without sacrificing a thing.
Thank you Mike Daily for all you do for sundance and for me. Thank you for your encouragement of many who want to learn these songs and your dedication to continue to keep these songs alive for the past 30 + years.

Title: Re: Mike O'brien AKA Michael Two Feathers
Post by: Piff on January 11, 2017, 11:17:04 pm
Here is an extensive description of his father's military service: https://www.vhpa.org/DAT/datO/G05259.HTM

Most notable for our purposes here:

Quote
A remarkable man who lived a remarkable life, he was a soldier's soldier, an Irishman's Irishman and a good friend to all that knew him.