Thanks for the links and good to know people are standing up to Lebeau and co. These are really well written/spoken words. If you don't mind I'm going to repost them here.
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http://www.olyblog.net/native-student-alliance-releases-statement-regards-medicine-wheel-ceremonyNative Student Alliance Releases Statement in Regards to "Medicine Wheel Ceremony"
Sun, 03/13/2011 - 10:27am — listening THE NATIVE STUDENT ALLIANCE OF THE EVERGREEN STATE COLLEGE AND OUR STANCE ON THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST MEDICINE WHEEL CEREMONY
Who is NSA? The Native Student Alliance creates solidarity among Native peoples from all nations while providing a network of support for its members, who are both students and non-students. The NSA dedicates itself to allying with non-Native peoples and to further the cross-cultural understandings in order to provide a safe and respectful environment.
What is our stance on the PNW Medicine Wheel Ceremony and its Organizers?
Recently there has been a large wave of support for the PNW Medicine Wheel Ceremony in the Evergreen and greater Olympia communities. The NSA’s encounters with its figurehead, Bennie “Blue Thunder” LeBeau, his co-sponsors, and supporters have been dismissive and their actions continue to be disrespectful. NSA does not approve of the upcoming ceremony for the following reasons:
It is allegedly a Native-themed event but is a distortion of authentic Native practices.
Its lead organizer “Blue Thunder” has admitted to not being respected by Native Communities; he is suspected of being fraudulent and illegitimate.
“Blue Thunder” asks for money donations, which is seen by many Native communities as sacrilegious.
It intrudes into the Salish Sea territory while targeting a “New Age” audience, which in turn excludes Native Communities.
It has not been legitimized by the Elders and guardians of all the Nations affected by this ceremony.
It perpetuates stereotypes and misconceptions of Native Peoples and Cultures.
It continues the romanticized idea of all Native cultures being homogenous.
It has been promoted in posters that stereotype Chief Sealth and Sacagawea in a clip-art fashion while depicting them in a cliché greeting of “HOW,” which does not mean “hello.”
NSA witnessed supporters acting out “Indian dances” through bird-imitations and shouting stereotypical “war whoops” and other degrading and derogatory utterances.
Some of these incidents of racist/stereotypical actions were performed in the Evergreen Longhouse, a place of cultural significance for Native people and the larger community.
It is rationalized through an insensitive and detached perspective, which does not take into consideration everything Native people have been through.
Supporters have attacked NSA for standing up for our rights.
An essential aspect calls for Native Peoples to “get over” the genocide, cultural eradication, thefts and crimes so “we” can move on.
We of the NSA do not oppose bringing communities and different cultures together, we oppose the misguided approach these organizers have taken in doing so. The intent behind this event may be pure but its actions are creating the opposite effect. There is a difference between voluntary sharing of culture and this imposition that has been placed upon us. In the context of this discussion, we feel we are subject to racist and anti-Indian aggression, and are responding as such. Moreover, we view the defense of our cultures and traditions as the defense of our survival as Native people in the face of physical, cultural and spiritual genocide. The Native Student Alliance stands in unanimous and staunch opposition to the PNW Medicine Wheel Event. We also reject the anti-indigenous discourse and conduct from its leaders and supporters. We condemn the actions, not the individuals or spirits; we are ready to enter into a reconciliation process. We challenge the supporters of the event to heed our call, rethink and to move towards allyship. Furthermore, we send a message of profound gratitude to those allies who have heard our call and supported us with their words and actions.
For more information on how you can be ally, check out the facebook group Olympia Respects Indigenous Spirituality
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Comments
Sun, 03/13/2011 - 10:47am — Sarah
beautifully written
(I was a member of the Native Student Alliance of TESC back in the mid 90s as an ally. I was in David Whitener's program Home: The Hospitality of the Land)
This statement on the "Medicine Wheel Ceremony" is beautifully written, thank you.
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Mon, 03/14/2011 - 11:41am — srh31
thank you NSA. While there
thank you NSA.
While there are a few false accusations (the bird dancing, for example.) This has caused me to step back and reasess the situation.
I still believe wholeheartedly in the spirituality of the event. But I see now how the politics are overriding the issue.
I believe in the cause, but don't want to piss anyone off either. I hope something can be worked out on the 30th, even if it is after the event.
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Mon, 03/14/2011 - 3:50pm — LauraG
Why I object to this "ceremony"
Real spiritual people do not enter a different territory and proclaim it in need of "healing" as if that area is free of people perfectly capable of taking care of their own land. In the state of Washington there are 29 tribes. In Western Washington, the place where LeBeau is forcing his ceremony, there are 23 tribes. All are culturally active including practices that have been customary for them since time immemorial.
Why would it be the case that Mr. LeBeau and his followers would belive that they can bring in culturally appropriated ceremonies from other traditions (Plains) into this region or that it is necessary? Could it be that he and his followers have never considered the fact that Salish and Makah people are perfectly capable of taking care of the Pacific Northwest? Perhaps they are taking their lead from something that appears on LeBeau's website tetonrainbows.com under the link "elder1.pdf".
The Western Plains tribes are truly blessed that the government’s forced removal and eradication programs were so delayed for them, unlike the Eastern and Western Seaboard and interior tribes which were so early decimated by disease and migration that they lost most of their teachings.
For many Native peoples, what is offered by the Western Plains tribes is the only connection to their own forgotten traditions, even if tenuous. To take that away, or cause doubt, or exclude them is to condemn them to no connection with who they are and have a right to be. And the power of the Western Plains beliefs is strong and worth emulating, indeed a model for the world.
That particular quote is from an essay on his site that muddies the issues around protecting cultural ceremonies which belong to specific tribes and is land-based. By this thinking, he is saying the 23 tribes here are so adrift that in his mind, cultural appropriation of plains traditions is all that is available. Hogwash!
While ostensibly "ministering" to those who he believes are without culture, he includes what he calls the "rainbow" of people who are individuals from all races--the true target of his ceremonies, not Indian people. The real money is with rich, non-Natives after all.
To assauge the guilt of those who may initially feel badly about being drawn to ceremonies that belong to the Lakota, he contends that guarding these ceremonies is acquiesing to the federal government, ironically, by throwing in a reference or two to blood quantum, and the American Indian Religious Freedom Act. These are things that a well-meaning, spiritually hungry non-Native person might be concerned about in their own personal quests, and for which they only have peripheral understanding. This same essay goes so far as to say that enrolled tribal members are no better than "chattel" (a reference that usually comes from people angry about not being recognized by their own tribe or any tribe). Tribes as soveign nations can define citizenship by any means that they choose. There is no uniform code of citizenship among them. Disparaging Indian people who are enrolled and presumably have a cultural connection to their tribe is classic anti-Indian rhetoric.
So, Mr. LeBeau has violated the number one protocol of real cultural practitioners by first assuming that there is no one to ask permission to practice his ceremony and secondly by assuming that the ones that are present have no cultural grounds on which to object to his presence.
When participating in canoe journeys, permission is asked before coming ashore from the canoe. When invited to share a prayer, dance or song, appropriate thanks and acknowledgement is given to your host tribes of the land. To not do these things is an insult.
As for the cultural appropriation involved in practicing ceremony that does not belong to Mr. LeBeau, his followers should know that the reason ceremony is so carefuly guarded is not because of jealousy, hoarding, or animosty but rather because these things require very careful use, years of training and the observance of strict protocol around season, time and place. People who do this for their communities, give their lives to it. They are accountable to their communities. When someone avoids accountability it can be because they are simply ignorant or that they have something unsavory to hide. Ignorance is dangerous. The unsavory are dangerous. Nothing about the approach of the organizers suggests the least bit of respect and that tells me that they may also have gaps in other things they may be offering.
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http://www.olyblog.net/native-student-alliance-calls-allyship-and-solidarity-regards-medicine-wheel-ceremonyNative Student Alliance Calls for Allyship and Solidarity in Regards to "Medicine Wheel Ceremony"
Thu, 03/17/2011 - 12:38pm — listening The Native Student Alliance serves Native students at the Evergreen State College through various cultural activities that respect and honor the diversity of our student body. We share a responsibility to the land, the people, and the cultures of this region and all of Turtle Island to protect our communities from racism and oppression. NSA is also committed to serving the wider community by building cross-cultural awareness and solidarity with Indigenous peoples.
Most people know that while Native Americans have had many victories in resisting colonial oppression, they have also endured much sorrow and loss. Such losses not only resonate in our modern lives, but the process of colonialism continues to this day. The Native American struggle is alive though it has shifted in nature. A similar sense of entitlement held by the dominant society drives the usurpation of cultural property, as did the violent conquest of Turtle Island.
True cultural exchange occurs when both parties are on equal ground; however, western culture continues to dominate Indigenous peoples. The U.S. has subjected every tribe to generations of assimilative policies that have weakened the social and cultural foundations of tribes. Only 32 years ago, the American Indian Religious Freedom Act granted tribal peoples the basic human right to practice their religious ceremonies without fear of persecution. Such an unequal power dynamic has not only left a painful history, but has put tribes at a disadvantage in economic development. Financial hardship and injured self-respect may spur some Native people to commodify and sell their culture to non-Native people.
Why shouldn't I be able to access whatever spiritual practice I want? For some, this mentality stems from a misplaced sense of entitlement in which Native peoples do not have the right to withhold their sacred ceremonies and traditions. For others, Native Americans are regarded as a vanishing or already extinct group. In an act of preserving the novelty of Native spirituality, they assume it is ok to appropriate. This approach is neither respectful, nor considerate; it is arrogant and patronizing.
Cultural appropriation is predicated on a fundamental disrespect for Native people—at best it is a silly misconception of what it is to be Native, and at worst it is an ultimate threat to our cultural survival. Native cultures are not only a set of cosmologies, but they are principled ways of being. Culture generates social supports, which are the strongest tool in facing dire circumstances within Native communities, such as epidemic youth suicide, substance abuse, and domestic violence. Meanwhile, non-Natives continue to justify taking ceremonies out of context and away from places where they are most needed.
We recognize that we are the descendants of survivors, the legatees of generational trauma and the children of struggle. We have a responsibility to our ancestors and future generations to defend our culture and empower our people. This means building solidarity with non-Native allies and educating our communities about Native cultural issues and concerns.
Our organization has been forced to address an alarming set of circumstances on Evergreen’s campus and in the Olympia community. We have experienced and witnessed:
Racist flyers for the “Pacific Northwest Medicine Wheel” promotional event: The images on the flyer blurred valued cultural distinctions by depicting stereotypical homogenized Native American figures that bear no resemblance to the actual people they are supposed to depict. The two Natives placed together (supposedly Sacagawea and Chief Sealth) never met and have no connections to one another. They are also depicted with their hands up in a stereotypical “How” gesture that so many non-Natives think is “Indian” for hello. Furthermore, there is an inaccurate placement of the buffalo and the mention of the “Medicine Wheel,” both of which are highly sacred to the Plains Indian cultures, but not representative of the Coast Salish Indian cultures.
Desecration of the Longhouse: During the promotional event hosted and sponsored by an Evergreen student group known as Ancestral Wisdom, NSA took particular interest in the words of one speaker, Bennie “Blue Thunder” LeBeau, who claims to be a spiritual leader of the Eastern Shoshone Nation. During the event LeBeau expressed that the sacred and spiritual beliefs and practices of Native Americans should be freely known and used by all people. He claimed our valued cultural distinctions are the products of “bad energy” and promoted his vision of the dissolution of tribal identity. He articulated multiple instances of historical revisionism. For instance, he utterly mischaracterized the history and nature of the Sundance and the Ghost Dance. He stated that Native Americans need to get over the genocide and ensuing colonialism.
Disrespectful behavior by students: In another instance, NSA witnessed LeBeau leading a “ceremony” on the Evergreen campus, in which students were seen acting out stereotypical Native American vocalizations and dances.
Invitation of a suspected fraud onto campus: LeBeau has been given free reign to mislead our learning community and disrespect the Native American students by claiming his new age practices are rooted in Native spirituality. By combining religious activities of many different cultures and traditions with crystals, numerology and romanticized ideas of Native American practices, he makes a mockery of actual Native religions.
Lack of proper protocol and respect the the First Peoples of this land: To all things we are called upon as witnesses. Disregard for the People of this Place (all places) is an offense to the Spirits, to the Ancestors, causing suffering to First People. The protocol of inter-tribal relationships is that First People are the primary concern in all that is done. Speaking our intention and seeking permission is the beginning place of true respect. This homeland is theirs and we "others" are the visitors. Every grain of sand, every tree, every wave that washes upon the shores carries the cultural appropriateness or spirit of this place.
The primary instrument of genocide and assimilation has been the use of exclusiveness in the decision making process. We can never right a wrong but we can change behaviors. What invaded and settled upon this land was economic and spiritual dominance, what we have come to know as Colonization. And injury persists through the process of Colonization (of the mind) stripping away consciousness: we have no rights except that which First Nations grant. And furthermore, legitimate behaviors are blessed by the Elders of Indigenous Peoples. We petition the wisdom and blessings of the Elders so not to offend the spirits and create situations that may be furthering and aiding cultural misappropriation of First Nations/Indigenous Peoples. The organizers have not adhered to protocol in forging ahead with this event.
Lack of good faith in reconciliation attempts: Organizers of the Pacific Northwest Medicine Wheel have projected a façade of good will and intent while paying lip service to necessary protocols that include seeking counsel from respected elders and other Native community members. The result has restricted cross-cultural communication and understanding, ruled out the support and respect of actual indigenous communities, and complicated possibilities for reconciliation. This leads us to believe that the organizers have no intention to alter and cease the event if advised to do so, and have set the stage for on-going offenses.
We challenge the student organization, Ancestral Wisdom, to listen, rethink their notions of peace and harmony, and act in solidarity with actual Native communities.
We call on Student Activities, the Evergreen Administration, and all faculty and staff members to take measures to disassociate our school from Bennie LeBeau, aka “Blue Thunder” and The Pacific Northwest Medicine Wheel ceremony.
We call on the wider community to learn more about this ceremony’s legitimacy before choosing to participate.
We call on our allies to educate other people in our community, who may not be aware of the insidious nature of this event.
In the context of this discussion, we feel we have been subject to racist and anti-Indian aggression, and are responding as such. Moreover, we view the defense of our cultures and traditions as the defense of our survival as Native people in the face of physical, cultural and spiritual genocide. The Native Student Alliance stands in unanimous and staunch opposition to the PNW Medicine Wheel Event. We also reject the anti-indigenous discourse and conduct from its leaders and supporters. We condemn the actions, not the individuals or spirits; we are ready to enter into a reconciliation process. We challenge the supporters of the event to heed our call, rethink and to move towards allyship. Furthermore, we send a message of profound gratitude to those allies who have heard our call and supported us with their words and actions.
