NAFPS Forum

The Tsungani Totem pole, located in the entryway of the James E. Brooks Library, was carved in 1999 by Tsungani (Fearon Smith, Jr.). He served as the chief of the Wiummasgum Clan of the House of Lelooska and the House of Sewide.

The Lelooska Family began sharing educational programs in the 1960's.  In 1977, the Lelooska Foundation was organized to preserve and encourage the study of the rich and diverse cultural heritage of the Native Peoples of North America through sponsoring living history programs and performances and operating the Lelooska Museum.
For over 45 years the Foundation has served as an educational resource for students, parents, teachers and the general public of Southwest Washington and Oregon.

The Lelooska Family was formally adopted, named and recognized as members of the House of Sewide of the Qwe’qwa’sot’enox and Mamalequla of the Kwakwaka’wakw by hereditary Chief James Aul Sewid and given the rights to the hereditary ceremonial privileges of stories, songs, masks and dances. These names, rights and privileges have been confirmed at multiple potlatches over several decades. The family was given full rights to use this box of treasure to share these rights and privileges through the creation of art and to educate the public about these traditional songs, dances and stories. They remain committed to honoring their family and the gift that was given to them.

Lelooska, Don Morse Smith, for whom the foundation is named, was a non-Native artist who carved sculptures and totem poles, one of which is displayed at the Christchurch International Airport in New Zealand, and another at the Oregon Zoo.

Culture/People Non-Indian
Artist/Maker Don Morse Smith (Lelooska), Non-Indian/Cherokee descent, 1933-1996

Please do not promote the Lelooska Foundation. Lelooska was a fraud who appropriated Native cultures of the Pacific Northwest and they do not have any authority to teach the things they do. Look for events that are held or sponsored by actual Tribes or Tribal organizations, not entities where the guy they praise was of Cherokee descent, claimed Kwakwaka’wakw, had a Nez Perce name, spoke Chinook Jargon (a trade language of no more than 700 words), claimed to be an authority of all Indians of North America, “adopted” into multiple families, described deeply ceremonial practices that shouldn’t be shared with the public, and only has descriptions of him and his family from 20+ years ago. This all screams as suspicious for Indigenous persons.

Don Smith - or Lelooska, as he was usually called - was a prominent Native American artist and storyteller in the Pacific Northwest. Born in 1933 of “mixed blood” Cherokee heritage, he was adopted as an adult by the prestigious Kwakiutl Sewid clan and had relationships with elders from a wide range of tribal backgrounds. Initially producing curio items for sale to tourists and regalia for Oregon Indians, Lelooska emerged in the late 1950s as one of a handful of artists who proved crucial to the renaissance of Northwest Coast Indian art. He also developed into a supreme performer and educator, staging shows of dances, songs, and storytelling. During the peak years, from the 1970s to the early 1990s, the family shows with Lelooska as the centerpiece attracted as many as 30,000 people annually.

Terre de Reliance is the fruit of a love and creative collaboration between Lorraine and David, a couple united by a common desire to design a space of sharing and transformation. Lorraine, guardian of the Hopi teachings in France, has traveled the world meeting healers and wise people, cultivating a vision of connection to the earth and holistic healing. David, with his eye as an artist photographer and his manual skills, brings a creative and practical dimension to this project. Together, they embody a beautiful energy of complementarity, nourishing Terre de Reliance's aspiration to flourish in harmony with nature.

Dear Community! I followed, guided by Lorraine Glatigny this journey in 2024 to meet the 13 Hopi Grandmothers associated with the 13 New Moons of the Year and I recommend this delicate and poetic journey full of discovery and exchange. Also a way to reconnect to the cycles through Hopi Perception and receive extra keys to experience your reliance with new moons.
Lorraine teaches us with her joy and good humor and it was a trip in each session.

The 13 Mothers: A Path of Wisdom and Connection
Have you heard of the Original 13 Moms? Their ancestral wisdom continues to inspire many souls in their quest for truth and harmony.
Starting in January, I propose you to dive into an equally rich teaching from the Hopi tradition, distinguished by its symbols, narratives, and unique perspective on the connection to the Earth and Spirit.
This spiritual learning invites us to explore the cycles of life, the forces of nature, and the universal teachings through the prism of a living tradition.
Does this speak to you? Have you ever explored the teachings of the 13 Original Mothers or other Native wisdom? I'll be glad to read your experiences in the comments.
Stay tuned for more information about this transformational cycle starting in January.

In Hopi tradition, every being carries a unique medicine that connects them to the Creator. While the unicorn does not appear in their traditional myths, it could still be seen as a spirit ally for those who feel its call.

...I began what the Shipibo call a year-long apprenticeship to begin learning this medicine and this cosmovision. A path of initiation into sacred plant medicine, the chants of the Ikaros, and shamanic healing.

Since then, this connection with plants and their songs has never left me. It taught me to listen differently, to feel healing like a breath, a wave, a presence. Much later, I rediscovered this same vibratory perception with the ancient Hopis: they too speak to spirits, stones, plants, and winds. There too, everything is alive, inhabited, carrying messages and medicine.

One day, Grandmother Medicine Song confided in me:

"Among the Hopi, the medicine man or woman always asks the sick person: How long has it been since you sang and danced?"

Often, this is where the root of the disease originates.

She’s a liar and a grifter. I met her back in the mid-2000s after she had just gotten back from doing a TON of psychedelics at burning man. Her real name is Colleen, and she’s from a well-off family in Massachusetts. She left home and started doing a ton of drugs and fabricated her entire backstory. Now she sells trinkets and “spiritual guidance” for insane amounts of money online. Don’t buy in to the grift.

no matter what your background is of course be very respectful
there was a lot of sacrifice that went into bringing these words forward
including the sacrifice of of being in the crosshairs culturally for doing that
so please be respectful but please resource White Buffalo Woman
for your heart and for your leadership and for how to embody this Consciousness
as your own key code