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Bobby Lake-Thom

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snorks:
He wrote an animal book that I do have.  I am curious - how is he a fraud?  Is he Indian or what?  His name also popped up in several museum exhibitions - he was helping them to curate some exhibits.  I got his book at the Smithsonian Museum shop.

As far as his book went, I just took it as a beginning point to explore ideas about animals.  He does present a lot of New Age mish-mash with Indian ideas.  I figured that was just him and to disregard it.

debbieredbear:
Maybe you should have posted this in the section for research. I can't tell you if he is a fraud or not. Just what my friend said that it was his wife who came from a powerful lineage, and that he (my friend) felt that she was the real power. My friend passed over in december, so I can't ask him anything.

AlaskaGrl:
Hello Snorks,

Within the Weylin thread I had made passing mention that Bobby Lake-Thom was according to Weylin, one of his teachers and I listed the following links:

 About: Bobby Lake-Thom (author), of the bestseller Native Healer.
http://www.loc.gov/catdir/enhancements/fy0644/2001005515-d.html
 
Bobby Lake-Thom was instructed by:
Wahsek, a medicine man in the northern mountains.

However I had made no remarks regarding him specifically as the thread had to do with Weylin.  And yes, perhaps the Moderators will move this thread to it's proper position under "Research."

educatedindian:
I think there was a discussion about his father, Charlie Thom, in the old yahoo group. From what I remember, many of us thought he was not a fraud but an elder (or "lapsed elder") who was doing things most would disagree with, specifically selling ceremony and franchising out "rights to do ceremony" to white wannabes for a price. What set off the discussion was a white wannabe who came to NAFPS saying she'd been authorized by him.

For his son, so far I'd say it's the same kind of mixed picture. He might have some knowledge, but does some things most would disagree with. Starting with "putting out a shingle" online to solicit customers.
http://www.nativehealer.net/Healer2005/about.html
"Medicine Grizzly Bear,also known as Bobby Lake-Thom is a traditional Native Healer from northwestern California. He is half Karuk, part Seneca, Cherokee, and part Anglo...taught and trained since childhood by twelve different medicine men/women, ceremonial leaders, and tribal elders.
Some of his teachers included Beeman Logan, Rolling Thunder, Mad Bear Anderson, Martin Highbear, Charlie Red Hawk Thom, Calvin Rube, Bonita Masten, Yurok Holyman Dewey George, Florence Jones (and numerous other medicine men/women from different tribes)."

Right there you see a problem, since RT was regarded by most as exploiters and Mad Bear was an an imposter. Martin Highbear also gets his name thrown around a lot since he passed on, with him conveniently no longer around. Bobby Thom seems to be claiming to be trained in a whole lot of traditions not his own. We used to have a Karuk member in NAFPS who herself caused a lot of controversy because she turned to Nuage ideas, arguing their traditions were long gone.

"His apprenticeship spanned two decades and then he was ordained on Doctor Rock, Chimney Rock, Trinadad Head, California; Seneca Mountain/Thunder Rock, in New York, and finally, on Mt. Shasta, California."

Ordained? He became a Christian minister? And I'm really bothered by him bragging about his alleged training in such detail.

 "For a better understanding of the significance, role, function, and status of “Bear Doctors??? or “Bear Medicine Men??? refer to the Shaman's Drum article (Winter, 1993) “Digging for Medicine: Bears in Native American Healing Traditions??? by David Rockwell. If you want a better understanding about "Indian Doctors and Shamans", Refer to the works of Alfred Kroeber (1928, 1942, 1976), Williard Park (1946), Joan Halifax (1978) and the research of other anthropologists."

Halifax is herself a pseudo shaman and so are the Shaman's Drum people.

"Bobby has conducted hundreds of ceremonies and lectures. He has been successfully doctoring Native people and non-Indian people for over twenty years. According to Indian custom and law he does not charge a fee for his doctoring and ceremonies, but according to the “law of reciprocity??? donations are usually offered in lieu of a fee for his healing work, spiritual counseling, and ceremonies."

At least he isn't demanding a big set fee up front like his father.

"He is the author of Native Healer (Quest Books, 1992) Spirits of the Earth (Plume/Penguin, 1998) and Call of the Great Spirit (Bear & Company, 2001). His numerous literary works have appeared in The Indian Historian, White Cloud Mental Health, The Shaman's Drum, Teacher's Magazine, Educator’s Digest, The Quest/Theosophical Society Magazine, Akwasasne Notes and Akewekon Literary Journal, Herbs Magazine; Humboldt Journal of Social Relations, and numerous other scholarly journals and magazines."

About half those journals are not scholarly, they're Nuage or pseudo shaman.

"He was a professor of Native American Studies for over 20 years teaching at Humboldt State University, Gonzaga University, and Eastern Montana College. He has served as a consultant for Indian reservation programs, tribes, organizations, and federal/state agencies for over twenty five years"

Like I said, a mixed picture. On most sites he's claiming to be a healer in either the Karuk tradition, or multiple traditions. I think the Seneca, like the other Six Nations, don't want anyone university trained as either elders or healers. But correct me if I got that wrong.

A comment from a review of one of his books.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0452276500/103-7189130-3129450?v=glance&n=283155
"The ceremonies in this book are sketchy at best.
In the medicine wheel discription Mr. Lake-Thom uses the colors of Black, White, Red, and Yellow like in Nick Black Elk's vision, but he reverses the places for Earth and Water (This is the 8th or 9th tradition I have seen for setting up a medicine Wheel."

So why would a Karuk be using a wrong version of Lakota medicine wheels?

"Interesting" link on his site:
"Star Ancestors (UFO, Aliens, and Indians)" http://www.nancyredstar.com/

WanderingNative:

--- Quote ---I got his book at the Smithsonian Museum shop.

--- End quote ---
Be wary of the NMAI book shop. The books are not selected by the NMAI staff but by the Smithsonian book dealers and they go by the rankings from such places as Barnes and Noble, Amazon and the trades and not by authenticity of the information or the author. (I know, I worked there and had numerous arguments with the book buyers about some of the new age junk that was for sale in the museum's gift shop. I had several books pulled thankfully but not all of them and I haven't been able to make it back down there to raise any more noise.)

I had a list of new age books that the museum was selling.  Also, I can probably get in touch with someone who has had direct clashes with Bobby Lake and Dark Rain, the twin terrors of the wannabe world.  There's a guy I know on Indianz who has clashed with them several times because they were on the same commission board.

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