I received a series of emails from a former associate of Lebeau’s, very concerned and wanting to know more and understand why he’s a fraud. They asked that their identity be kept concealed, but gave permission for the emails to be posted.
They also speak of having a good friend who is deeply caught up in believing in Lebeau. Any advice for how to get their friend away from Lebeau and co?
In order, the emails are first from them, then my response, them, then me again, then them.
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Hello members of NewAgeFraud,
My name is …. and I [worked with] Kristine and Blue Thunder... And yes, I'm a white person….
I was connected to the Northwest Medicine Wheel Ceremony that happened in Olympia in March. There was a cultural awareness dialogue held, meant to discuss the issues the Native Student Alliance had concerning the ceremony and Blue Thunder; it did not go well at all and I feel like nothing is resolved. No apologies were accepted and people were very disrespectful to him, Kristine and myself--telling us we don't know what love is and that we're creating chaos. Aside from that I've been very hurt about the way people are painting us; saying we are disrespectful and ignoring them, which is not true. I tried to arrange a dialogue between me and them and members of the counseling network at TESC and nobody responded to the request. I made it a point to speak with everyone who approached me about it and I was never rude, and offered to be open and have honest communication. Several people invited in protestors who showed up at the Capital Theater event on March 13 to come in speak before the crowd, and they refused. I don't understand why there can be no resolve, and why we can't have any meeting of the minds.
I'm mostly writing to you because I read your blog on NewAgeFraud that was recommended to me by a native student and I really want to understand why I need to be cautious and why people are saying he's a scam. Blue Thunder has never shown me unkindness, and I knew Kristine long before her and Blue were partners; I can certainly attest to her intuitive gifts. They inspired me to write a research... In the entire time I worked with them I never gave a penny--I have no money. And I was never excluded. Also I don't understand how praying for the place where I grew up and asking for healing for myself and people I love is offensive and wrong. Please help me understand what I'm not seeing, and what I can do differently.
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Hello,
Sorry for the late reply.
The anger and what you interpret as "disrespect" are a result of frustration that Natives constantly face on this issue, from outsiders not understanding our POV.
Imagine if a con man started dressing up as a Catholic priest, declared himself a religious leader even though no one in the Catholic church ever made him a priest and the communities knew of him only as an imposter who always caused trouble and took money for misrepresenting Catholic mass as witchcraft involving cannibalism.
Now imagine you didn't know much about Catholic beliefs and naively decided to intern for this imposter.
Naturally he'd treat you with respect. After all, you're doing free labor for him.
Naturally he'd realize it's useful to use you to shield him from the Catholic community, as Mr LeBeau has with you. .
And it wouldn't be too surprising if you felt the people pointing out he's an imposter were somehow "disrespectful."
The fact remains, what you think of him and his "respect" for you has no bearing on whether he's legit or not.
The Shoshone and other Natives in the northwest have long known he's a fraud,
He has NEVER been recognized as a spiritual leader or healer in the Shoshone community.
What he "teaches" has no resemblance at all to Shoshone or any other Native belief.
What he teaches are racist stereotypes. Outsiders who only know Hollywood films think these are somehow the real traditions.
He has done enormous damage to Native people and traditions. And those who naively support him, though they don't know any better, act as human shields for him,
Whether you realize it or not, you harm Native people. We urge you to reconsider what you are doing.
I also urge you to come to the forum and speak with the people, both Native and nonNative.
Al Carroll, moderator
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If I may ask, what evidence do you have to prove that he is viewed as a fraud by his community? Where can I find this? I still don't understand why I'm being harmful, or why his intentions are harmful. He asks for donations, but does not expect it, and does not exclude anyone. Even after… was over and I no longer… he's still there for me. He is never rude, even to people who are rude to him. Rude to me is screaming at someone, telling them they don't know what love is, saying "you make me sick" and "that's crazy talk/woo woo talk". Anyone would consider that disrespectful. Have you watched his documentary "Healing Mother Earth's Sacred Sites" where he worked with people in Big Bear Lake, CA? Several community members attested to the improvement of their environment and wildlife because of the ceremony he did there. Also, why is it that I'm able to find other Native American communities that DO endorse his work and came to the ceremony to share their spirituality with us, and thank us for what we're doing? I don't feel like you've answered my questions. I am talking to other native and non-native groups, and I don't find consistent answers. You say he's a fraud, others say he's a good man with a love for nature that wants to help others. Some people say I'm being racist and a cultural appropriator, others say I'm doing something beautiful and important. Can you understand why this is confusing for me, and my need to get to the bottom of this?
Thank you for your time. I'm just trying to find the truth in all of this.
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See for yourself the evidence we've gathered.
http://www.newagefraud.org/smf/index.php?topic=499.0As you can see, many of the "Native" elders he claims endorse him are in fact NOT Native.
Note also his working with numerous other imposters and exploiters.
http://www.newagefraud.org/smf/index.php?topic=2891.msg24597#msg24597http://www.newagefraud.org/smf/index.php?topic=3299.msg28667#msg28667http://www.newagefraud.org/smf/index.php?topic=2871.msg28081#msg28081http://www.newagefraud.org/smf/index.php?topic=1142.msg6492#msg6492 Among the more contemptible things LeBeau has done, besides falsely claiming to be a Shoshone elder, is his use and abuse of a woman dying of leukemia, taking everything she has while letting her delude herself into thinking she will be cured.
As for your claim that other Natives in other communities endorse him, besides being largely false (since many of these aren't even Native)....
Why on earth do you think that means anything? Would you think Lutherans decide who is a Catholic priest?
Like many outsiders, you seem to not understand that these are hundreds of extremely distinct traditiions.
Again, I urge you to come to the forum. There is also another moderator Debbie Redbear who knows about LeBeau in greater detail including the northwest tribes view and complaints against him.
Also, I would like your permission to post our emails here, since I think all could benefit from this discussion, esp those like yourself trying to figure these issues out.
Al Carroll
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Thank you for your time. I'm reading this materials. I've also contacted Big bear lake resort and I'm trying to find a contact for his tribe. If you know of one, please tell me. I want to hear of that myself. I hear a lot of "I have a source that says" but I want to speak to them directly. At this time I would prefer to remain private, I hope you'll respect that. I need time to think about it. This is all frightening to me, because I really believed in the good intentions of this work.
Do you support the 13 Indigenous Grandmothers? They endorse his work. Please let me know what your thoughts are about these endorsers:
http://www.earthwisdomfoundation.net/LINKS.html Yes, please refer me to Debbie Red Bear. She can reach me here.
Please know I'm not a bad person. I'm not stupid either. I'm just trying to understand this.
I do understand different tribes have their own traditions--I want to understand why mixing and sharing of cultures is viewed as a negative thing. And please stop using references to Catholics--I have no connections to that religion.
What are normal rituals and traditiosn that happen in sweatlodges? I have so many questions.
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I forwarded your email to Debbie Redbear. She can tell you more about the local community.
I will keep this in confidence as you wish. [Note that she gave permission to post in the next email.] But I do urge you to join the forum to speak to others. You don't have to reveal your identity.
There are more than a few members of NAFPS that are in a similar situation to you. We have ex Newagers, people who made mistakes and now regret it. There are even ex wives of exploiters among our members.
The 13 grandmothers, if you look at our thread on them, we point out there are some who are genuine and a few who don't seem to be what they claim. The bigger issue is they have been "appointed" as elders by a white Newage exploiter named Jyoti, who seems to be using them to make herself appear legit.
I used the references to Catholics because they are perhaps the most widely known faith….
Each tribe has different sweatlodge traditions but in general there are protocols saying one must never charge, it must be done by a healer recognized and trained in their community, and it is extremely dangerous for someone who is not to conduct one. A good example of the dangers is the case of James Ray in Sedona who killed many people with his ignorance.
As far as "sharing" that word is often used by Newagers to actually mean stealing or taking without asking. To truly share one must have permission, and Lebeau and other imposters don't. Tribe do share traditions sometimes, but only after careful consideration by all parties and agreement by everyone. There is much reluctance because there are so many abusers like Lebeau.
Al Carroll
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I spoke with several members of the Shoshone Tribe today and was very sad by the things they told me; saying he's not a respected person, he uses people, is not an appointed medicine man and not an elder. Thank you very much for warning me. I also want you to understand where I'm coming from: I'm involved in… and I'm very sad by the ugly things I see people do to each other. I want nothing more for us to live in peace with one another and for us to heal ourselves and the world around us. Not knowing this was wrong or that this sort of fraud existed is very sad to me because I want so much to be an instrument of change in my community. Can you understand why I felt the way I did? I'm not trying to gain sympathy and I don't expect forgiveness, this is who I really am. The last thing I wanted to do is hurt people, in any situation. I love people very much, all people, regardless of their race, spirituality or cultural beliefs. In fact I'm fascinated by anything different from me and want to travel the world, learning all about it. This was certainly a learning lesson. I'm very concerned for the others who have been following him, and for my friend who is his partner. They said she is in danger. I need to think about how I want to handle this. Yes, you post these emails, but please use the name :formerPNW. I don't want my real name or contact info connected to this. Best wishes to you.
