Jamie
I know communities that have a multitude of different forms of spirituality being practiced....not all 'original' to their lineage culture. it is the integrity of the practitionar. Ask questions of the people that are invovled and check out what they say. Where did their teachings come from? Check out the lineage of the teachings and if they really learned from that person.
Re: Pablo Russell
« Reply #40 on: Yesterday at 06:30:21 pm »
Jamie
Please keep in mind that just because, someone studies with someone with integrity, is absolutely no gaurentee of 'their' integrity in the long term.
So Jamie , you yourself in the quote above have said that just having had a good teacher is no guarentee of a persons long term integrity.
When a Spiritual practice gets brought into another community that doesn't have a number of Elders knowledgeable in this tradition , it is next to impossible for Elders to make sure things are being done properly, because none of them know enough about that tradition or ceremony to say. Even if someone in the tribe has concerns , from what I've seen, if the traditions come from somewhere else , often all the Elders can do is say they never agreed in the first place , and they aren't really sure what to do . I have repeatedly heard Elders voice concerns about people showing up with ceremonies from other tribes which don't belong in their culture ;
http://www.ammsa.com/buffalospirit/June-2000/longarms.htmlOn several occaisions I have seen someone who because of their character would have NEVER been given permission to lead ceremonies by their own Elders , but these people have gone and hung out with some Lakota Elder , who likes "sharing "and after a few months of training they come home to their non Lakota communtiy , and they set themselves up running ceremonies . In areas where a lot of traditions have been forcibly surpressed and lost , these people do get a following , and from what I have heard the Elders who are doing their best to maintain their own cultural traditions are often not happy about this.
I have heard of situations where Elders choose to send someone from their tribe to learn something specific from another tribe , but as far as I have heard that process of choosing what knowledge needs to be brought into the tribe , and who is selected to do this, is best decided by the Elders of the tribe who know what is needed and who they want to do this.
The whole idea of Spirituality being some kind of smorgasboard , and the more things to sample the better , seems like an assumption more common to non native values , which assume more is better , and quantity is more important than quality. I disagree .
Getting back to the topic of Cherokee Sweat Lodges , here is what a spokesperson for the CNO had to say about Cherokee people leading Sweat Lodge ceremonies .
http://web.archive.org/web/20051207172424/users.pandora.be/gohiyuhi/articles/art00001.htm"Cherokee medicine and spiritual practices do not include tarot cards, palmistry, psychic readings or sweat-lodge ceremonies.
One may assume that anyone claiming to be a Cherokee "shaman, spiritual healer, or pipe-carrier," is equivalent to a modern day medicine show and snake-oil vendor."
