Robin Powell AKA Robin Youngblood

[Pono Aloha]

That Maui Well-Being show you notice has no native Hawaiians on it. It's the typical Maui NewAger crowd.

Robin says on her website that she studied "L'au" (should be La'au) lapa'au with Henry Awae -- it's Auwae. I've posted on another site to see if any of Papa Auwae's students recognize her name. But as noted by someone above, it is typical for these people to say they "studied" with someone when they might have attended a one hour lecture at a conference.

[nemesis]

Robin Youngblood appears as one of the "inspiring women" listed on an extremely dubious pseudo-feminist website the "Inspiring Women's Summit"

http://inspiringwomensummit.com/node/10628


Other "inspiring women" listed include:

Margot Anand - Runs her own school of "tantra" business - SkyDancing Tantra® and is also on the advisory panel of the Hoffman Institute (an "interesting" LGA cult promoted by many dodgy psychotherapists, counsellors, psychologist and other mental health professionals)

Devaa Haley Mitchell - according to the blurb on the site:
Rev. Devaa Haley Mitchell works as a spiritual guide and leadership coach. She runs ongoing programs to support women in awakening to their full potential through the organization she founded, Radiant Essence Services (www.radiantessence.com).
Recently, along with her husband Stephen Dinan, Devaa founded the Inspiring Women Summit, the largest virtual gathering of women in history. Over 28,000 women from more than 121 countries gathered together in dialogues and networking circles to expand the capacities of women. "
http://inspiringwomensummit.com/node/57
this woman has lots of FB friends involved in the Osho movement.  Unsurprisingly.  She also hosts the FB page for 20th Annaul Women of Wisdom Conference, Seattle, WA 2/16-20th 2012 Public Event · By Devaa Haley Mitchell http://www.facebook.com/events/168889303223950/  (worthy of further scrutiny IMO)

Grandmother Susan Ka'iulani Stanton (Nemake Sumake - Chiefmoon Lady) - I'm not sure what to make of this - according to the blurb she "was born on the island of Oahu and raised her children on their 6-acre Kuleana in a remote valley on the North Shore. Adopted at birth, she grew up believing that her mixed blood Native Ancestry was Hawaiian, and it was not until she entered her pre-Elder years that she learned that her birthmother is Jeanne House, Six Nations of the Grand River, Mohawk/Wolf Clan. Bi-cultural, Susan was a member for a short time of the Hui Hooulu Aloha Halau, under the direction of Kumu Hula Cy Bridges. She Sundanced at the Chiefmoon Sundance on the Blood Reserve in Alberta, Canada, and has been initiated to carry Crystal Medicine. She is an initiate of the White Buffalo Cow Society (Mandan) and has worked for  23 years with incarcerated Men, Women and Youth of many Tribes as a Spiritual counselor. She is grateful for the Teachings of her Elders, who include Priscilla Vigil (Tewa), Leon Secataro (Canoncito Navajo), Chief Marie Campbell (Eyak),  Jr. Thompson (Red House Clan - Dineh) and others. She believes in the importance of the Grandmothers in these times of the Coming Earth Changes, and supports all Grandmothers of All Nations in this work"
http://inspiringwomensummit.com/node/10607

There are lots of "interesting" women listed on the site, it would take many hours to check them all out.  A brief perusal suggests that several of them, at least, are promoting workshops relating to the "divine feminine" and / or Osho.

I may start a new thread on the Inspiring Women's Summit once I have time to check it out more thoroughly

[milehighsalute]

she recently held a "vision quest" in a twinkie laden "secret grove" place in NC

[Epiphany]

Robin Youngblood survived the devastating 2014 Oso Landslide in Washington state. She is prominent in quite a few reports about the disaster. I wish her and her family well as they recover.

Many of the reports have quotes from her about her heritage claims.

In the early 1900s, Youngblood’s family helped establish the community of Darrington. They were Cherokee who had been forced to move to Oklahoma and Arkansas, but decided to move to Washington. Youngblood’s great grandmother is buried a few blocks from the Darrington town center, she said.

http://www.heraldnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?aid=/20140328/NEWS01/140329017

This would mean that Ada E (Conner) Youngblood http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Youngblood&GSiman=1&GScid=756597&GRid=84829730& is the great grandmother that Robin claims Cherokee heritage from.

Well, Robin needs to have professional genealogy work done.

I've looked over census and other documents, genealogy forums that discuss this particular line, and relevant family trees.

Maybe she has distant Cherokee heritage, but there is no evidence of this. Not in census. Researchers say the Youngblood on the relevant rolls is not this particular Youngblood line. This Youngblood family is said to be originally from the Netherlands in the 1600s with surname Jongbloedt. Repeated often, without any sources, is the claim that a Jeremiah Youngblood Jr (1797 South Carolina - 1880 Arkansas) married a "Full blood Cherokee". No sources, no attribution - nothing to back this up. Some family members claim things like "My grandfather could count to ten in Cherokee." as their "proof".

Robin is not enrolled Cherokee and she hasn't done enough work yet to even begin to properly claim distant heritage. As for the Okanagon claim, she did own land in that area, I think she is equating "living here" with "being Native" inaccurately.

She is enrolled in the Bear Clan Metis

http://www.dreamingshaman.com/

Pay $25 a year and you too can be a member: http://www.metisbearclan.com/

[Epiphany]

Her birth name is Robin Powell.

Robin (Powell) Youngblood
North Salem High School 1968

Oh, my - from good li'l Catholic girl to Native American teacher . . . . After high school, 2 kids and 2 marriages, I went back to the Rez to study with my elders, and now I share their teachings around the world. Recently wrote a book called "Path of the White Wolf", available at most Borders and on Amazon. Now I've got 7 grandkids and 1 great-grand!! I've lived in Maui, Hawaii for over 15 years . . . . Life is great, and totally different than I would have expected.

This is from the Classmates site. I don't know when it was written.

I believe Youngblood is surname of some of her ancestors. A Robin Powell has a private family tree up on Ancestry that includes the same Youngbloods I have been researching.

[Epiphany]

Robin Powell
her parents Bryon Powell and Charlotte Irene Van Volkenburg
her maternal grandparents Neil S Van Volkenburg and Cuba Otence Youngblood

She claims her Youngblood line has distant Cherokee.

As for her Okanagan heritage claim, I think she simply has lived in Okanagan county.

[Sparks]

http://dreamingshaman.com/

Do not click on any of all the links going to this domain! They now redirect to phishing sites. (Warning from "Microsoft Defender SmartScreen" when using the Microsoft Edge browser.)

[Sparks]

She is still quite active, in a number of venues, and this seems to be her newest attempt at a Native American biography (no more any Cherokee connection, though):

https://www.facebook.com/robin.youngblood/posts/pfbid028dZpWcAJj2A5jqy1gAzo3QK73E5JLd2fTw7zb5cjrTwoppffCxM8YUMMWP5dqjnpl

Robin Youngblood
December 8, 2022  ·
By blood, I'm primarily Sylix from the Okanagan nations, and adopted Ojibway, Lakota, Cree by Hunka ceremony.  But I wasn't raised on the rez, and my training came from Elders from all those nations. I agree with you about cultural appropriation of language, and homogenization of cultures. Yet, AIM did this a lot in the early years. Our peoples shared their traditional ways. For instance, I pour water for Quil'sten, our traditional lodge. I've also been passed the bundle for Inipi. I only do Inipi with other Sundancers because it belongs to my Lakota relatives. I was taught to honor each way, and not to mix Medicines.

At the same time, my heart is heavy with some of our own misunderstanding about cultural appropriation. We've culturally appropriated from the settlers since they arrived. All those beautiful beads on our modern regalia? They came from Chzekoslovakia, India, Africa. We originally mixed rocks and minerals, used bones and teeth from the animals we hunted, or bored shells and porcupine quills. The pots, pans, mirrors, sewing tools we use? They come from wyt traders, and we appreciated them, so we use them. I found my Great Grandmother's old bone needle and horsehair thread in a medicine bag beaded with #6 Chzeck beads on black velvet...now there's a cultural mix.

Our languages are important. I come from a stolen generation that never learned my language. Oh, I know a few words and phrases, but now in my 70s, I'm not going to get to be a fluent speaker. However, in my homelands,  we had Chinook, a trade language composed of Columbia River tribal words and phrases, including words from English, French, German, Portuguese, Chinese, Hawaiian,  Spanish, and several non local tribes like Paiute, Nez Perce, Kurok, etc, etc. It was used to trade up and down the west coast and inland to beyond the Kootenais. We also used Indian Sign Languages, both Siouxian and Coastal.

And because I learned from so many different nations, I've learned words like Winkté, Heyoka, etc, and their true meanings. Each tribe has their own words and definitions of certain roles and identities. Pueblo tribes have Koshares, similar in a few ways, yet different from Heyokas. Each needs to be respected for their true meaning. None need to be homogenized as 'pan-indian'. There is no such thing.
 
The story I was told is that long ago each tribe was given a piece of wisdom, and certain ceremonies to carry and protect, until the time when we could all come together to share and honor each, in order to mend the Sacred Hoop. The wisdom and Ceremonies are unique, not to be blended, but to be understood for the teachings each contains.

I see these days as that time...not to argue, but to celebrate our uniqueness, and honor each tradition, no matter what culture or color it comes through. I pray we all learn to live in respect for what each path offers.

Another self-presentation at http://churchoftheearth.org/:

http://churchoftheearth.org/welcome-home/grandmother-robin-youngblood/

Rev. Robin Youngblood

Reverend Robin Tekwelus Youngblood is the founder and director of Church of the Earth, established in 2006 to address the current needs of the Children of Mother Earth. Since then, Rev. Robin has helped to establish Church of the Earth communities in several locations.

Of Okanagon/Tsalagi lineage, Robin is a minister, teacher, author, artist, and a shamanic practitioner/healer. She has been a student of her heritage for many years. She has learned the sacred teachings of Indigenous elders from her own Native American tribes, along with Siberian, Polynesian and Aboriginal elders.

As a Shamanic Minister and healing practitioner, Robin offers Soul Retrieval, Aura Cleansing, Cord-Cutting, Crystal Healing, and Soul Readings. Rev. Robin travels the world, offering Workshops, Medicine Wheel Constellations, and Dance to Heal the Earth, as well as facilitating ceremonies such as Sweat Lodge and Vision Quest.

Rev. Robin is a Wisdom Keeper, who is invited to share and offer ceremonies in  several countries. She is also Traveling Ambassador for Grandmothers Circle the Earth, and helps establish Grandmother Circles and Councils wherever she travels.

Since 2012, Robin has circumnavigated the earth four times, sharing teachings and ceremonies. As a graduate of Barbara Marx Hubbard’s “Agents of Conscious Evolution” training, Robin is a Guide for the Wheel of Co-Creation, a method of working with others to co-create sustainable lifestyles that honor Mother Earth and All Our Relations.

You can find Robin on Facebook,  at  Dance to Heal the Earth and Shamanation ,  where Robin and other Wisdom Keepers from around the world offer teachings.  Robin is author of “Path of the White Wolf, An Introduction to Shamanism” with Sandra D’Entremont, as well as several music CDs.

Ministers of Church of the Earth are located in Hawaii, the U.S., South Africa, and Europe. All our ministerial work is through Church of the Earth. No one is turned away due to economic hardship. If you are interested in a workshop, course, retreat, or any of Church of the Earth’s gatherings and ceremonies, and have a financial hardship, please contact Church of the Earth. We’ll see how we can help.

Links from there:
http://dancetohealtheearth.org/ > http://dancetohealtheearth.org/dance-chiefs/
http://shamanation.org/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/robin-youngblood-ba73a28/

[Diana]

Thanks for posting this Sparks. I remember Piff and I trying to figure out her genealogy back in 2015...? I went back to our PMs from 2015 and decided to take another look at Robin Powell.

Ancestry.com has come a long way since 2015. They now include a lot of marriage certificates and state censuses. Also historical information about who's who in the pacific northwest.

Now, I did find a relative of Robin Powell from around 1800 who was an Okanagan Indian in Oregon state territory census. It only had a first name for her which is normal for that time. Her daughter who was born in 1824 has 1/2 Indian Okanagan in the ethnicity column. I did the math and this would make Robin Powell 1/64..? Keep in mind this is a preliminary search, but I'm pretty sure these people are her relatives. Her family has a very long history in Oregon as well as Robin Powell. Her family lineage very impressive. I don't know why she doesn't acknowledge this. Sad.

This is a work in progress, so it may take a while.