Author Topic: kunsikeya.org / Beverly Little Thunder & "Wimmin's Sun Dance"  (Read 42060 times)

Offline snorks

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Beverly Little Thunder &
« Reply #30 on: March 12, 2012, 04:48:59 pm »
This is on Beverly Little Thunder.  Is this something to be concerned about?

From: http://kunsikeya.org/
Kunsi Keya Tamakoce
Grandmother Turtle Land

Wimmin’s Sundance 2012
 
July  21 -29, 2012
Huntington, Vermont
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The write up is of the site: Our Mission ...

Kunsi Keya Tamakoce is dedicated to sharing the traditional teachings and sacred ceremonies of the Lakota people with women, children, and men, in order to support the health and well-being of the earth and all who live here. Kunsi Keya Tamakoce uses the Lakota model of community building which cultivates a deep connection to the earth, empowers women to reclaim their role as wise leaders and creates a framework for future generations to realize the importance of living in harmony with the natural world.
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Happenings & Special Events

SUNDANCE 2012
 July 21 – 29, 2012
Huntington, VT

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Monthly Ceremonies:

1st Saturday of the Month February 4th forward Pipe Ceremony

May - October Inipi
      
      Monthly Inipi Ceremony

An Inipi is the oldest ceremony of my people, the Lakota, one brought to them by an elder grandmother. The structure represents the womb of our mother earth and the safety we all experienced before our entry into this cycle of life. The Inipi is a structure which is built out of saplings and covered by tarps. Stones are heated outside in a firepit and carried into the lodge where everyone is seated on the ground in a circle. The purpose of the ceremony is cleansing and prayer.

I am honored to be able to share this aspect of my traditional ways as a tool for others who may be searching for a connection to their Higher Power.

All are welcome to attend, it does not matter what your beliefs are or to whom you pray. We are taught that Spirit only sees your heart and intention when the door is closed and it is completely dark in the lodge.
 
We will hold ceremony on the first Saturday of each month at Kunsi Keya in Huntington, Vt.  Please call ahead to confirm your attendance.

There is never a charge for ceremony; ever. There are however expenses, to help defray costs of wood, laundry, herbs, fabric and the ongoing work of Kunsi Keya, we will provide a basket where your requested donation of $15 (more or less) can be placed. After the ceremony, which last about 2 hours, it is traditional to share a potluck meal together so please bring a prepared dish to share.
 
You will need to bring a towel to sit on and one to dry off with after the lodge. It is appropriate to wear shorts and t-shirt, a loose fitting dress or a cloth wrap into the lodge. For your comfort, it is recommended that you have a change of clothes for after the ceremony. If you would like to come and just observe by sitting outside with the fire that is also okay. Please give us a call with any questions or concerns.
 
I look forward to seeing you and sharing this important part of my life with my friends and community members.

----- Beverly Little Thunder ------
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Kunsi Keya Tamakoce welcomes you to the opportunity of participating and praying in the traditional ways of the Lakota people.

The Lakota Sundance Ceremony is a very sacred ceremony that requires quiet attention and prayerful respect in your participation, and we ask that you observe some basic etiquette when participating.  You never know what to expect at Sundance, and nothing but the experience gives you this knowledge.  Should you decide to attend, please read this information even if you have attended a traditional Native American ceremony in the past.  Be open to learn and observe, do not assume you know.  We want to always be respectful.

Thank you for taking the time to educate yourself in advance, so that your energy at Sundance may be directed toward the purpose of Sundance.

What is a Lakota Sundance?

The Sundance is one of the Seven Sacred Ceremonies given to the Lakota people. Sundance is a ceremony that represents life and rebirth. Sundance is a New Year ceremony celebrated in the summer, usually on a full moon. It is a very powerful and sacred ceremony that has withstood severe oppression many times since it was given to the People. It was once exclusively Lakota, but has become a ceremony employed by many other American Indian tribes. Each tribe has its own variation of Sundance. 

The focus of this Ceremony is one prayer: healing for the Mother Earth. We are praying for all humanity. We are giving thanks for all the good things that the Creator has given to us. 

The Lakota Wimmin’s Sundance lasts 8 days. The first four days are spent in purification, ridding oneself of physical and emotional wastes, and preparing for the Creator’s help and blessing. The last four days are the ones in which the dancing and most of the Ceremony take place. 

What is an "Inipi"?

The Inipi, or Sweat Lodge, is the way we pray to the Creator. The Sweat Lodge is the purification process, which begins and ends all Lakota Ceremonies. The lodge represents the womb of our Mother Earth, and when we crawl out at the end of the Inipi Ceremony, it is like a rebirth. 
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About Beverly Little Thunder

The birth mother of the Wimmin’s Sundance is Beverly Little Thunder. Beverly began dancing 35 years ago. Until 1987, Beverly was a Lakota Sundance leader and recognized as a respected female in the traditional Sundance community. When Beverly came out as a "two-spirit" womon, she was asked to leave her traditional Sundance family. Seeking guidance, Beverly approached a female elder. The elder’s wisdom led Beverly to envision a variation of the traditional Lakota Sundance: a ceremony of strength and empowerment generated by women.

The Wimmin’s Sundance is a vision, rooted within traditional Lakota culture; however, Beverly’s vision imagined change in some traditional protocol. In traditional Lakota ceremonies, women are inferior to men. In addition, only participants able to prove their Native American heritage are allowed privileges such as facilitating Inipi Ceremonies, beating the Sacred Drum, entering the Arbor, and becoming a Sundancer.

The vision gifted to Beverly portrayed women, Native American and from other descents, fulfilling the roles of Sundance in a careful and nurturing way. 

Presently, Beverly is living on 101 acres of land in Vermont where the ceremony will be held. Beverly’s vision is to build a community for women of Native descent to have space to honor the ceremonies of their ancestors. The land will be held in trust for future generations to care for, and continue the Wimmin’s Sundance Ceremony. 

------- There is a long discussion on Sundance and Supporters

Arriving On the Land

Wimmin are welcome and needed to come early and stay after the Ceremony to assist with set-up and clean up. We especially need women to stay Monday and Tuesday for clean up after ceremony; this will help both the Ceremony and your transitional time. Please let us know in advance the dates you will be able to attend this will allow us to plan meals.

There is never a charge for ceremony. Your contribution of $20 - $35 per day of attendance, sent in with your registration, pays for 3 meals per day and snacks, propane, wood, paper products, wood chips and many other camp supplies and services. If you are unable to meet the suggested minimum contribution, please contact us prior to the registration deadline. There are limited funds available to assist with travel expenses for Native Wimmin wishing to attend for the first time. Please write for more information. 


Offline earthw7

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Beverly Little Thunder &
« Reply #31 on: March 12, 2012, 06:58:30 pm »
This is wrong in so many ways :o
In Spirit

Offline Defend the Sacred

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Beverly Little Thunder &
« Reply #32 on: March 13, 2012, 09:18:18 pm »
We have another thread on this here, too. I am going to merge the threads.

I know someone who went to one of these events to see what was happening; she said it is almost entirely non-Native women, almost all of them white. She was very uncomfortable and left. It is a woman serving as intercessor at what is traditionally a man's ceremony, running this ceremony for non-Native women, in territory that is not Sun Dance territory.

Offline nemesis

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Quote
the women's spirituality scene has been appalling when it comes to cultural appropriation.  Most of the people who attend Newage events and fill the shameons pockets are middle-class, middle-age, white women.

This is why I quit subscribing to MS magazine. The last straw was when they had to pages of letters to the editor whining about how no one could tell THEM what to believe. They totally missed that they were as guilty of opressing Indian women as they said men were guilty of opressong them. The magazine really had littel for poor women, let alone poor Indian Indian women.

Ms Magazine was founded by Gloria Steinem, a controversial figure in who was prominent in promoting the "recovered memory" movement that lead to many abuses against innocent people and to the ongoing farcical circus relating to the myth of widespread Satanist abuse that was promoted and perpetuated by many "feminists".  Such "feminists" include Beatrix Campbell (OBE  ::) ) and the completely unqualified authors Eileen Bass and Laura Davis who wrote the notorious book "the courage to heal" (a deranged, fact free tome claiming that a range of illnesses and psychological problems are "signs" of repressed memories of child sexual abuse), Susie Orbach (Princess Diana's former therapist, author of Fat is a Feminist Issue, and another promoter of "recovered memories") and countless other so called "feminists".

I mention this simply because, IME, there is a deeply concerning relationship between some aspects of the feminist movement, cultural appropriators and the people promoting the "satanic panic".   The unfortunate tendency of some wimmin's groups to commit themselves to support evidence free campaigns (everything from invalid and fantasised so called "research" into sex trafficking through to insane beliefs about Satanist abuse) has left them vulnerable to infiltration by the same predatory groups of sex traffickers that they claim to oppose.  

This is an incredibly serious issue and maybe worthy of its own thread?

Offline RedRightHand

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Re: Beverly Little Thunder & "Wimmin's Sun Dance"
« Reply #34 on: May 23, 2018, 07:56:37 pm »
I didn't think it was possible, but it's getting even worse now that Beverly has died. Exploitation of ceremonies, selling of ceremonies, non-Natives running and selling ceremonies, and misrepresentation and exploitation of Two Spirit teachings. None of these people know what Two Spirit is. Two Spirit doesn't just mean "gay, lesbian, bi or trans." Two Spirit may be a modern term, but it's a pan-Indian term that Natives chose by consensus, for speaking about the traditional ways of cultures that have ceremonial traditions of a particular sort, that are usually fulfilled by gay, lesbian, bi, or gender nonconforming people in their particular ceremonial culture. It is not for non-Natives, and it's not even about tribes that don't have those traditions. It's not about nuagers making crap up and thinking they have a right to just because they're gay or trans.

This group is now making offensive videos, full of non-Natives mangling and misrepresenting songs and ceremonies they never had a right to. They are selling their fake sundance on the Internet. They are rebooting their website and posting videos on YouTube. It's getting very ugly. These people are responsible for colonizing the Two Spirit camp at Standing Rock. They sent lying, non-Native crystal wavers there, who tried to "educate" traditional people about ceremony. Beverly sent money, so some people who really should know better tolerated some of these freaks. No wonder the spirits were angered and told the actual spiritual leaders that all the nons had to leave.

This is what happens when people like Beverly aren't stopped.  This is her legacy:

https://youtu.be/9He3J1umDgU

http://kunsikeya.org/

More mangled songs https://youtu.be/_AM8U_Nqvso

And here we see that they are also connected to other exploiters, like at this event with the 13 Pay to Pray Old Ladies: https://youtu.be/QBywKUZQuPk

Who have their own thread, here: http://www.newagefraud.org/smf/index.php?topic=1216.90

Offline Smart Mule

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Re: kunsikeya.org / Beverly Little Thunder & "Wimmin's Sun Dance"
« Reply #35 on: February 24, 2023, 07:43:27 pm »
Except she's not dead. She's continued to flourish in Vermont, even joining the Vermont Commission on Native American Affairs. The attached resignation letter from the commission could be the one good things she has done, exposing the fakes in Vermont. The chief she refers to is Don Stevens and the current chair she mentions is Richard Holschuh.

Offline Smart Mule

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Re: kunsikeya.org / Beverly Little Thunder & "Wimmin's Sun Dance"
« Reply #36 on: February 24, 2023, 11:20:08 pm »
https://www.vermontpublic.org/local-news/2023-02-13/vt-native-american-commission-official-says-shes-resigning-over-members-false-claims-of-indigeneity-misogyny

"Last week, a member of the nine-person Vermont Commission on Native American Affairs announced by email they were resigning.

Beverly Little Thunder has served on the Commission since 2019. And as part of that official body, she was tasked with developing policies and programs to benefit Vermont's Native American population.

In her email letter, Little Thunder said she was stepping down because of “deceit and dysfunction.”

And in her time there, she says she’s witnessed male commissioners being dismissive of their female colleagues.

Little Thunder, who is Lakota, also alleges members of the Commission are falsely claiming to be Indigenous.

She isn’t the only one to level these allegations. Two Abenaki First Nations in Quebec claim that Vermont’s state-recognized tribes, to which many of the Commission members belong, have not provided the genealogical and historical evidence to show they are Abenaki.

State-recognized tribes counter these claims by saying they went through the state recognition process.

Beverly Little Thunder recently spoke with Vermont Public reporter and producer Elodie Reed, who has been following this story. Their conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Elodie Reed: Beverly, thank you so much for taking the time to talk with me. I want to talk about your resignation letter, and you said you wanted to join the Vermont Commission on Native American Affairs to provide a voice for all Native Americans living in Vermont. I'm just wondering, after sitting on the Commission, you said that you didn't find that to be the case? And can you explain that a little bit?

Beverly Little Thunder: Well, when I joined the Commission, I had met a lot of other Native people from different nations that were pretty much silent. And at the time, I didn't know much about the history of the four bands of Abenaki that are here. And I, you know, I wanted to support — to support them.

And once I got on the Commission, I began doing some more in-depth research, and finding out that what was on the surface, and what was being presented to the general public, was not actually the case. And I was very, very uncomfortable.

I'm just wondering, from your perspective, how you define Indigeneity, and sort of how that lines up with what you saw in your fellow commissioners.

For me, it can go back, you know, five – five generations. But the local tribes that I discussed it with, said three, you know, direct descendants three times removed. And active participation within that tribe.

When this new Commission was seated, I looked around and I realized that no one in the room really fit that definition. And the person who was elected — Rich Holschuh was elected chairperson — and I questioned.

Beverly Little Thunder: “Last year, we had a — we had a Zoom meeting. And you were directly asked if you were Indigenous, and you said that you were not Indigenous?”

Rich Holschuh: “I do solemnly affirm that I am of Indigenous heritage, it is not within three generations. And those are my exact words at that time.”

And that was not a satisfactory answer for me. I knew that to challenge it further at that time would only ensue in a heated discussion, and that he would be backed by all the men that were there. So I stayed silent. That was the last Commission meeting I went to, I have not attended any since then.

In your letter, you also mentioned misogyny that you experienced when you were on the Commission. And I'm just wondering if you could talk a little more about what that looked like, and how it impacted your work on the Commission.

Well, when I initially got on the Commission, it was primarily women. And then towards the end, we had a couple of men who came on who took up a lot of space. And it was almost as — we would say something or make a statement, and they would shoot it down. And there are Indigenous women in Vermont who are strong, but whose power has been just cut off at the knees by these men. And it's hard to speak out. And one of the reasons why I chose to leave.

You in your letter ask the governor and lawmakers to hold the Commission accountable and to look deeper into the claims of who is Abenaki here. Do you think — I guess like, what are your expectations for those officials to follow through on that request?

I don't expect Gov. Scott to do anything. I don't think he really cares. I don't expect anyone is going to sit down and really look at the claims, that probably should have been looked at when they had state recognition.

You mentioned that you haven't been to a Commission meeting I think since September, that was the last one. And I'm just wondering why you chose now to announce your resignation and to, really, speak out.

I have been working on this since then. And I have followed my spiritual practices of Lakota people. And I've taken some time to pray about it. And answers don't come just overnight.

What do you hope happens moving forward?

I think my intent is to educate the public, to let people know my experiences, and to get them to thinking. Let them make their decisions.

As I said with the Legislature, I wish that they would look and rescind some of those bills. So that the Vermont people are not supporting something that is false, a false claim.

But there are many people who have drank the Kool-Aid, so to speak, and who feel, you know, their white guilt, and they want to do something to minimize that guilt to what their ancestors did.

And hopefully, some of them will really, really rethink.

The response to the email

Vermont Public reached out to Vermont Commission on Native American Affairs chair Rich Holschuh for a response to Little Thunder’s email.

Holschuh shared the written statement below:

I have not yet seen an official filing of Beverly Little Thunder's resignation letter but unexpectedly I have been informed of it privately by you. I can only respond to this request as an individual person and to the degree I have knowledge of situations experienced in my capacity as a previous member of the Commission for the statutorily-limited two terms from mid-2016 til mid-2020 and, since re-appointment in September 2022 through the present, during which tenure I have been chosen to serve as Chair. Beverly joined the Commission in Oct. of 2019, 8 months before I stepped down.

During that overlap in appointments, I attended 6 regular meetings at which Beverly was present for 4. I worked with Beverly on legislative initiatives during that short time. which I appreciated. During the entirety of the those first two terms, including the brief period where our terms overlapped, the VCNAA was chaired by a woman colleague, and, with the exception of the first 3 months served, Vice-Chaired by another woman colleague. Beverly has attended 1 of the last 5 meetings. I have had very little interaction with Beverly and only in regular meetings, other than the aforementioned legislative efforts but I believe it was always cordial. I attach a photo of one such moment when collaboration was the motivation, something for which I strive. I do consider myself a feminist and I believe the women I am privileged to have in my life will attest to that.

In September when I was nominated to the position of Chair, there was an open discussion about my eligibility to serve in that position, since it had been a topic of discussion in previous meetings. It was established that I did meet those expectations and the nomination was approved.

At that same September meeting, a previewed letter from the Commission to the Administration at UVM, expressing recent concerns about recent events there and asking for dialogue was read aloud and approved by consensus, including Beverly, with one abstention by a member who had not had time to review the letter herself. All of these things are recorded and available in the minutes which are a matter of public record and posted on the Commission's webpage.

A state official confirmed that to resign, Little Thunder must submit an official letter to the Commission.

Vermont Public did not immediately receive responses from the governor or leaders in the Vermont House and Senate."

eta - cross posted here http://www.newagefraud.org/smf/index.php?topic=2649.msg48921#new
« Last Edit: February 24, 2023, 11:27:38 pm by Smart Mule »