NAFPS Forum
General => Frauds => Topic started by: JosephSWM on January 01, 2005, 09:35:05 pm
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There are two people in Maryland to watch out for. The first is a white man in his late 50s, early 60s named Stanford (don't know his last name). In the late 60s, 1970s he owned head shops/new age stores in Baltimore city. His most recent endevor was a store in Baltimore called "Touch the Earth" (new age, aromatherapy, Indian trinkets, etc). He lives in a suburb of Baltimore off of Old Court Road. He runs and charges for sweats, last I heard $250 per person. These sweats, which I was told from women who attened, are co-ed and at times nude. I attempted to become his "friend" to see if I might be invited and see first hand. But he never invited me, guess he didn't want any real Indians there. Those in the Baltimore/Washington area may have heard about him or know him. He also sells fake merchandice. He tried to sell me a flute that he said was made by a Dancing Mayan Medicine Man. Flute was urban pine (pvc pipe).
The other person is a lady named Jasmine (no one seems to know her last name). She claims to be Cherokee and says she is enrolled with the Eastern Band. She also claims to be a "Chief Medicine Woman"(there is no such thing). No officials down in Cherokee, NC have ever heard of her. She has a following of non-Indian people who think she is very powerful. She conducts sweats and also leads bogus ceremonials.
Joseph
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I couldn't find much on the first one outsude of the address of the shop, which only advertises aromatherapy.
Is the second one Jasmine Hisha or Hishaw? No online presence from her that I can find, no mention other than her being interviewed by a Baltimoe author for "If I Had God's Telephone Number".
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0971703205/103-2522938-2445410?v=glance
One of the reviews.
"It is the Cherokee Medicine Woman Jasmine Hishaw's words in the final chapter that remain with me most strongly. This is the chapter that sold me on the book. Ms. Hishaw teaches about the structure of the Universe, organized religion, the New Age movement, human sexuality, the Creative Force as expressed through Divine Father and Earth Mother, and many other topics of interest to us today. "
Could you find out anything more?
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I lived in the Baltimore area from 1982 - 1985 and have met Stanford and been in the Touch the Earth store, which IIRC used to have a deli. His last name is Greenberg.
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I don't think Standford's last name is Greenberg. I know it a French sounding name. He use to have a store in the 80s called the Green Earth but the store Touch the Earth didn't open till the mid 90s in an area of Baltimore called Canton. It is now out of business. I know sooner or later I will remember his last name. Unfortunaley I have lost contact with anyone who remembers his last name.
Joseph
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Yes, when I was there it was called Green Earth, I remember now! And I remember he was know in Baltimore as a drug dealer as well. Maybe I can find out his last name. You might check with this fellow:
Louis Klaitman
Lookinglass
407 N. Paca Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
(800) 729-5665
I'm sure he knows Stan's last name.
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Thank you for the info. I e-mailed Louis Klaitman and hopefully I will get a response. Also, it is well known in Baltimore about Stanford's illegal operations. Many say that is how he could afford the "farm" and all that he has.
When I attempted to be invited to his sweats I was hoping that I could find Eagle feathers there and at least turn him in because of that. I guess for now I must settle for getting the word out about him.
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Louis was a friend to Roy Steevensz years ago, lent him a bunch of money for his L.A. operation and never got repaid, yet continued being friendly to Roy as long as he was in Balto. Louis is a real nice guy. He never knew Roy after he morphed into being "Littlesun." That didn't happen until more than ten years later.
Let us know what Louis has to say about Stanford, if you hear back from him.
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I have not heard back from Louis Klaitman. I did do a search, every which that is possible, on Stanford's store, Touch the Earth. It came up in many, many lsiting, of which I looked at least 30 of them, none of which has his name mentioned. I did a search in the archives of the Baltimore Sun newspaper and even though the store is mentioned in a lot of articles, nary a mention of his name.
Here is an interesting coincidence (I don't believe in them though). Loius Klaitman lives 2 blocks from me. The incoropration address for The Green Earth (Stanfords's old store) is 2 block from me in the other direction.
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Does the name "Lessans" ring a bell?
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Bingo, thats the name, thank you. Stanford Lessans. So now everyone knows here in the Baltimore-DC area not to be taken in by Stanford Lessans.
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Well, wouldn't you know it. its been at least 2 years since I have seen Stanford. Today I bumped into him at the video store. I said a cordial hello but he seemed to be a little ill at ease, maybe I'm just reading into it. Anyway, small world, init?
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It would seem that when it comes to this person, Stanford, well maybe he has fallen on financial, and perhaps even, personal hard times. I saw him just the other day looking old, tired, nearly bald and working as a cashier at Trader Joe's. I would venture to guess that he is too old and unpleasing to look at to attract the young women to his co-ed sweats.
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I know quite a bit about Jasmine, and her last name as she gives it is Hisha. She definitely identifies herself as someone who is high up in the eschelon of Cherokee shamans and tribal leaders. I would be interested in knowing if she is indeed Cherokee and recognized by the Cherokees. She lives in Maryland, and charges for healing services, sweats, vision quests, etc. etc. She has quite a following, and travels across the country to do healings. She does not advertise but uses word of mouth. She requires strict allegence from her close followers and is known to be very vindictive to any that stray in devotion to her. She had a loose cohort named Thunderbear, also supposed to be a Native American healer, but now they are estranged.
Anyone?
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Hope, notice what Joseph found out about Hisha (near the top.) From what you say she is one to watch out for. No actual Native healer would try to dominate her followers in such a cult like way.
Do you know anything more about this Thunderbear, a last name or claimed tribe?
Would you mind describing in more detail some of the things you've seen? How did you first meet her?
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I don't know what tribe Thunder Bear claims to be part of. Jasmine says she is Cherokee Deer, to be specific.
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I met Jasmine and Thunder Bear through an informal new-agey type network of people. It is true that their followers are mostly white. Jasmine says she was taught by her grandmother from a very young age, her story is that her grandmother took her around the country to learn the healing methods and ceremonies of all the tribe. She is originally from Texas. She also claims that because of unique and special powers or abilities she possessed at an extremely young age, her people see her as the arrival of a prophesized individual who will usher in a new age. Jasmine has said that fairly recently she turned 55 (I think that's the age) and that she was officially recognized in ceremony as an Elder. I know at least a couple of people who say they have benefited from her healings. There are also a lot of ex-followers running around who were forced to or decided to break off contact because of the ways she deals with people, no contradition or questioning allowed.
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I did find an interview done by an a woman who was intending on wriring a book. the interview was in 1997 and can be read at
http://www.tocallgod.net/html/Jasmine Chapters.pdf. States at that time she lived in Washington D.C.
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sorry the above site takes you to the wrong place . sorry. Try http://www.tocallgod.net/html/jasmineChapter.
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Interesting read.
http://www.tocallgod.net/html/jasmineChapter.pdf
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Traditional Cherokee don't do sweats. Their ceremony is called Going to the Waters, quite different. Some do take part in sweats when non-Cherokee NDNs invite them.
She claims tiyoweh is a Cherokee word for meditation. I found one source online saying it's a Seneca word.
http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/nr/nwltr/drm/su2000/tiyoweh_e.html
Another saying it's either Lakota, or attributing it to Jamie Samms, who is an exploiter and fraud.
http://www.butch-femme.com/portal/forums/showthread.php?p=43282&mode=threaded
And that messiah complex of hers, please. Regardless of whether she is Cherokee or not or can heal or not, that egotistical claim of hers should be a warning sign that she is not to be trusted. A possible cult leader in the making IMO.
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From what I have been told, from at least three people who were at one time close to her and part of her cult but no more is that she claims to be enrolled with the Eastern Band (they have no record of her) and claims to be a hereditary Medicine Chief of the Cherokee. We do not have those. We have ceremonial leaders for the community and we have medicine people, healers.
I have met some people here and there that have told me that Jasmine knows who I am. I'm sure she is aware of the stuff written here.
Problem is if people are foolish enough to follow her than they get what they deserve. It must be more romantic to some folks to sweat your butt off in a sweat than to get up before dawn in the middle of the winter for a morning Going to the Water ceremony.
I do know that the person of Thunderbear has had nothing to do with Jasmine for many years. Like David Michael Wolfe, she seems to leave a lot of victims in her wake.
Thats all I have to add. Its a small world out this way and maybe others besides Hope will add to this if they care to.
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Jasmine will be the first to tell you that sweats, the way they are being done now, are mainly being done because that is what white people are asking for and expect, per their notions of American Indians. She did them a long time ago and quit.
Jasmine can be as sweet as the day is long when it serves her. But I would have to agree that there is something cult-like about the way she conducts herself and handles her followers. I have heard too many similar stories from people who don't even know each other for it to be a coincidence. She gets rid of people once they start to catch on and is always looking for fresh new faces.
My personal opinion, for whatever it is worth, is that she has healing abilities but she is power tripping in a big way.
One interesting thing is that she is telling people that in the upcoming wars and natural disasters, she will protect her followers and friends. She claims to be able to purify radioactive water by touching it. She promises to teach others how to do the same, when she deems them ready.
I also would like to hear from anyone else who has information.
I wonder if she really has any ties to the Cherokees. I also curious as to whether there is an Elder ceremony at age of 55, or if this is just another story. (I'm not Native American so I wouldn't know.)
hope
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No, we don't have an Elder ceremony. You live long enough and you become an elder or Elder, depending on what your community thinks about you.
There were some people who had checked into her enrollment status with the Eastern Band. They were told she was not an enrolled member. I don't have the time or the inclination to verify this but if someone else wants to they should.
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Name of this Jasmine is Jasmine Hishi.
She is gathering quite a following. She belongs to a yahoo group of herbalists. I am trying to get the site.
I did find this on the web when I did a search of her.
http://www.tocallgod.net/html/JasmineChapter.pdf
I didn't realize we had this post. I did a search for her on here but with the entire name.
Anyone know anymore?
Thank you. William
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Just found out from a person who use to be an "apprentice" of Jasmine's years ago that her real name is Nancy Willows.
Joseph
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Sorry folks, I got Jasmine's real name wrong. It is Nancy Wallace. She has a daughter named Jenni (the 'i' on the end is pronounced as a long 'i'. Jenni also claims to be a 'medicine' person. Jasmine/Nancy is married to a man named Ronny Wallace but from I have been told he is not a medicine person. But I bet he reaps the rewards from the money they make from pay per sweats etc.
They all live in Baltimore County on Ridge Road, an area I think in or around Woodlawn. I did not realize that she lives only 20 minutes from me. Small world ain't it.
If any of you out there live in this area (or Baltimore) please do not buy into her. She is not a heriditary Cherokee Medicine Chief as she claims because we do not have those and any Cherokee, even those whose blood quantum is more white than red, would know this.
Joseph
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And that messiah complex of hers, please. Regardless of whether she is Cherokee or not or can heal or not, that egotistical claim of hers should be a warning sign that she is not to be trusted. A possible cult leader in the making IMO.
I am glad I just reread some of the posts. Al hit the nail on the head. From what people who have been involved with have said. Some have used the term 'deprogramming'.
Ah, I wanted to write more but my time is up at the library.
Joseph
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I really hate wasting posts, especially over my lack of proof reading but the daughter's name is not Jenni but rather Jenii (ryhmes with Jedi, hmmm...)
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I tried responding to this a long time ago, but I think my response got lost in a spam-attack fix.
I was a member of Jasmine Hisha's cult. (And by the way, I didn't deserve what I got any more than a woman in a short skirt deserves to get raped.) I didn't go to her looking for native healing secretes, I was just getting sick in my body work classes and wanted some lessons on how to keep my boundaries straight. It took years for her to manipulate me into joining her circle.
It took me a while after leaving the cult to work up the courage to start talking to people of real native decent because Jasmine programed a pretty intense fear of Native people in us. She told us that they would be angry about what she was doing. This was perhaps the only true thing that she said in the time I knew her.
She claimed to be an adogasi (teacher of healers) and the Principle Medicine Person of the Free Cherokee Nation. Later she changed her story to the Eastern Band, but at that point, my thinking was too ##$% to question her or go looking for proof. She could go on for HOURS about her adventures in this position. If she wasn't so busy leading a cult, she would make a wonderful author.
She claimed to be some kind of Messiah figure. She said she could read minds and perform psychic surgery. She said the world would be coming out of the third age between 2007 and 2010. We had plans to go to the Northwest to wait out the "end of the world" chaos. She's instilled a sense of dependancy in her daughter so deep, that I worry that Jenii will never escape to live her own life. She's psychologically and financially captive to her mother. In her case, this really isn't her fault. She's never been exposed to life outside of her mother's manipulations.
When I left, there were lots of signs that things were about to get worse. Jas had cleaned out the circle's bank account to pay for a vacation for herself and her husband. All illusion of democratic control in the group were gone. Jas was doing longer and longer lectures about how terrible the rest of us where to her and how we were hurting her with our "sh*t." There was talk of water purifiers and other stock piling for the end of the world.
More recently, she's been going long distance with her manipulations on a website called www.thenativehealer.org. Complaints about them are listed elsewhere on this board.
I have loads more details if you want them. Really, the word "plastic shaman" is too soft for Jasmine and her gang. They are a cult and they are dangerous. Jasmine will be the sweetest most loving, generous woman you ever met until you've bought in enough for her to show her true self. Please don't fall for it.
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I noticed that they changed their name because the Nez Perce objected. Well, no DUH! The Nez Perce are a proud people and I doubt they were flattered by this bunch.
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But now they are the Oklevueha NAC of Sanpete recognized by the Oklevueh NAC of Utah (Chief Fool Bull Blessing-Rosebud NAC????????
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Just trying to get my facts straight. Who are the Nez Perce? And what does NAC stand for?
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Nez Perce=Northwestern Tribe now with rez in Idaho. NAC=Native American Church.
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In case anyone picks up this thread I would like to add some updates and clarification. Jasmine Hisha has no proof of her Native heritage and is expanding her "business" to include a "peace village" with her loyal followers. These people are brain washed and most hsould be pittied for they are lost.
Her daughter Jenii has broken away from her and finally acheived freedom from her tyranny. No one knows where she has gone, one rumor says she moved to Spokane Washington and another Colorado. From my source who is very close to them she never wanted to be a part of her mothers "group/cult" but was forced and was alos the only one to speak out against Cloupiler and other false shamans that tried to join forces. Since she left Jasmines following has grown stronger as her daughter was secretly saving the few she could from her mothers need to feed off others souls.
Jasmine is indeed an evil soul and power hungry at that. She thinks she is god, or the messiah and is untouchable. People like her need to be stopped as they do more harm than good even to their own families. I wish her daughter luck and hope she can stay hidden from her mothers crazed gaze. Fly away little butterfly and gain your freedom!
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http://www.truthis.us/truth_is.htm
here is a picture of him