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Manuel Rendon AKA Manny Twofeathers

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Oriona:
Hello,

My name is Oriona Rendon. I am Manny Twofeather's daughter, one of many. First, I would like to say that I can understand how anyone who didn't know my father (or anyone with some kind of influence, for that matter) would be suspicious due to rumors they heard. But I have to exercise the right to defend my family. Quite frankly, I was both offended and hurt upon finding this website because none of the postings were from people who had met him. My father was not perfect, no one is. But he certainly doesn't deserve this kind of criticism from those who did not know him. My father was not a 'plastic shaman' and he was never trying to dupe anyone and he NEVER charged for ceremony, ever. He was not that kind of person and greatly frowned on people who did. His books did not claim to teach anything, he was simply sharing his own experiences. My father believed in equality and he spent his whole life looking after anyone who came to him for help. All these book sales and seminars that "Edge" mentioned are what kept him away from home so much, but also kept our heads above water. His death was very difficult, and turned both my family's life and the life of many others upside down. I can not express to you the pain that we have suffered ever since. He was not only my father, but also the father, friend and leader to many others. Furthermore, I would like to address what "educationindian" said. My family and I are in no way "profiting off the exploitation." In fact, we are currently living in a women's shelter. Also, my father was never "exploiting" anything, except maybe himself in order to provide for us. He was the most selfless person I have ever met. All he ever really wanted was his coffee in the morning, done the way he liked. You seem to think he was this evil man who sought after riches and simply used his spirituality to get further in life but that isn't true. He had a deep respect for his spirituality and he was humbled by it right until the very last moment of his life. He did not choose to be a leader; he simply followed his heart and his spirit and helped those who sought him. The Sundance that he started was not out of vanity, but out of a need. He could not understand how Native Americans would show the same kind of prejudice that was shown to them for so long. An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. We are all the children of the Creator, all of us and there is only one human race. After so many years of conflict, how can we continue this intra-species war with one another? Since when did skin colour or land of origin determine how much you love the Creator, or how you should pray to him? Everyone should be able to follow the path that the Creator has put them on. Mother Earth is everywhere; she belongs to everyone, not just us. The ceremonies are for the People, and it has never been specified that they were for only one people. We are living in a time where the general population is starting to lose its connection with the Earth and the Creator, why then would we turn those people away who just want to come back home? I will admit, these beliefs may be seen by some as unconventional and maybe not even completely traditional. I have even been called, to my face, a “hippie dippy” but I know that these beliefs are not wrong. Different yes, but wrong? No. This is what my father believed. I wish that you could have known him, maybe then your opinions would be different, or at least more informed. I am eternally grateful that he raised me the way he did because he raised me to show love and compassion for everyone, even if they have wronged me. I hope you know that I am not here in hostility, simply as a defender of a person whom I knew to be good.

All My Relations.

earthw7:
It is good for a child to defend their father,
It is also good to love your father.

I am sorry you live in a shelter.
Maybe it has to do with the choice made in life.
If our ceremonies are done the right way in the
right place then everything is good and balanced
if they are not do in a good way then nothing
is in balance.
Choices it is all we have.
Our belief have been corrupted over the years and
we have invited other tribes to our ceremonies but
they did not mean they could become leader and start
there own ceremonies for non-natives. That was wrong
and the unbalanced lives of people is the result.

educatedindian:
Hello Oriona,

As Earth pointed out, no one blames any daughter or son for defending their father. In fact you are to be commended. There are others we've written about in here who have followed in their parents' footsteps. Mala Pope, for example, who became an exploiter like his father John Pope. I can only imagine what it must be like to be the child of someone regarded by many as doing wrong. In some ways it must be like being a child of a convict. Blame, in my opinion, must be solely at the one who did the wrongs, and never their children.

As we stated elsewhere, were it not for others continuing to make money off of his name and his claims, we would not be discussing him nor listing him as a questionable person. When someone passes, it serves no purpose. Yet others continue to sell his books and make claims about him to make themselves seem more legit.

One of those people is Wm Anderson AKA Blue Otter. There's plenty on him in our forum if you use the search button. He seems to have been an associate of your father's. Another associate of Manuel Rendon seems to have been Robert Ghosthorse, whose real name was Robert Franzone. Again there's much information on him in here. As you can see, he was a con artist and abuser of women, and your father supported him.

Like your father, Franzone lied about who he was and who his people were. In your post you seem to admit you know your father lied about who he was. Your main defense of him seems to be he did not make a lot of money off his being an imposter. Not only that, you describe how he left you and your family for long periods, driven by whatever need or compulsion to go pretend to be a spiritual leader of a people he was not actually part of.

To me it seems that you and your family were victimized by his posing as something he was not, much as others were. You deserve our sympathy for having to live with the consequences of his wrong choices. I hope that your pain heals with time and your understanding of this issue grows, and you see why we and so many other Natives fight to prevent the kind of harm your father and his associates did.

critter - a white non-ndn person:

--- Quote from: Oriona on June 04, 2010, 01:27:40 am ---We are all the children of the Creator, all of us and there is only one human race. After so many years of conflict, how can we continue this intra-species war with one another? Since when did skin colour or land of origin determine how much you love the Creator, or how you should pray to him? Everyone should be able to follow the path that the Creator has put them on. Mother Earth is everywhere; she belongs to everyone, not just us. The ceremonies are for the People, and it has never been specified that they were for only one people. We are living in a time where the general population is starting to lose its connection with the Earth and the Creator, why then would we turn those people away who just want to come back home?

--- End quote ---

As a non ndn, I want to say that I understand this thought. I actually agree with it in context, however, it's not as simple as that. Non ndn's have proven to ndn's that they cannot be trusted, that they will take and bastardize their beliefs and make profit. Would open doors squash the profiteers?  I don't think so.  

White American and European cultures have no time for doing things properly and in a right way. They want it now, and they want it to conform to what they think it should be.. hence, they mutilate the sacred to fit their own minds.  

I can't speak  for ndn's, but from what I've learned on this board is that as a community based peoples, any such "sharing" or teaching of their individual tribal beliefs would be done so with agreement and support from their community, not done so by one singular or a couple of people who think to do so.  Without communal agreement, it is stealing from the tribe, from the people of this faith.

We don't know where this world is going, with massive oil spills and wars that could lead to a mass destruction of Earth or to the sustainability of the billions who live here.  As I said, I agree in 'context' but in reality, I feel that an 'open door' policy on Native beliefs would only result in the annihilation of those beliefs and ways.  No people should be expected to let their beliefs and sacred ways get diluted and mutilated or flushed down the toilet with the rest of the world simply because many have lost their inner connections to Earth, Life, and Creator.  It would do no good.  Peoples who still have their original beliefs, handed to them by Creator, or who have enough of those beliefs that have not been completely lost and destroyed by the genocides of invaders, should keep them safe.. and out of reach of exploiters, frauds.. and the common person who means well, but misses the boat.

For the many who are seeking these ways to fill the empty space within, they need to stop looking to someone else to fill them. They have all the tools they need to find Spirit.  In my belief, we are all born with Spirit.. therefore, to seek it one only has to go within.  Not hunt down others and take what they like and change or discard what they don't. And certainly, not turn around and sell it to others for profit.

Oriona:
Hi All

My name is AnnMarie C and I currently teach Oriona - she is a student in my high school. I just wanted to let people on the forum know that she is young when responding or engaging in dialogue. We are both at a loss to understand why people who have never met her father or who do not know him are in any place to pass judgement randomly on his authenticism. According to Oriona her father has never denounced being Yaqui, and as a person with this heritage, I think that some of the arguments against or accusations become invalid.
In her posting, Oriona does not admit her father was anything other than human and therefore imperfect. She is not admitting he was a fraud or any of the other hurtful accusations. As for the fact that she is currently living in a shelter - she mentioned this only to point out that she is not living in the lap of luxury - not relevant really as if she was and it was justly gained, so what? Anyway, she pointed this out not for sympathy but to help to clarify her situation. As for the choices her mother and father made that resulted in this current life situation it is none of anyones' business but her own and responding to such as a criticism is a further example of jumping to conclusions based on very little information and it would seem a lot of supposition.
Oriona felt compelled to address some of the comments that she came across while reading about her dad who she misses a great deal. I hope that people will keep this in mind when posting on sites such as this that there are a lot of people who are impacted by what each of us has to say in life. I would caution people to think about the consequences of their words and balance those against the need to educate others about what you may or may not suppose to know.
AnnMarie Carruth

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