NAFPS Forum
General => Research Needed => Topic started by: wolfhawaii on June 10, 2014, 05:01:56 pm
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TYk_fOhkQA&feature=em-subs_digest-vrecs
She is a council member of Nuyagi Keetoowah in New York.
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There's another thread on the Blue Deer Center and its founder Elliott Cowan
http://www.newagefraud.org/smf/index.php?topic=4262.0
but I don't think Joan is mentioned?
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Joan Henry is an eathsinger,
she is http://earthsinger.net/bio:
Quote: Vocalist, actress, dancer, composer, poet-lyricist, percussionist and choreographer, it’s hard to think of a style she doesn’t cover.
on this homepage is an interview with HV Biz
http://earthsinger.net/hv-biz-interview
To me it seems she was invited by the deer center to show the alligator dance.
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http://www.sacredfirefoundation.org/common/person/view/id/52/refererTitle/Ancient%2BWisdom%2BRising%2B2013/refererUrl/%252Fevents%252Fevent%252Fview%252Fid%252F5%252Fsection%252Fancient-wisdom-rising is sacred fire foundation legit?
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oh nevermind....elliot cowan is on their board of trustees using the name david wiley....im gonna spread word on FB
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There are a lot of big names associated with that sacred fire org……makes me wonder. Joan Henry is apparently claiming to be Cherokee per her bio on the sacred fire site……wonder if she knows that traditionally women do not lead songs and dances?
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These nuage centers have a rotating cast of "presenters." They try really hard to get legit (or formerly-legit) people to sell out, so they can put at least one "respected" person on the bill with their crew of pretendians. Usually they do this by misrepresenting themselves and their group, pressuring Natives to sign contracts before they've had a chance to look too closely at what they're signing up for. They claim it will be a forum for traditional or interfaith discussion, then they find out they're in bed with a bunch of pretendian ceremony-sellers. Then even if the swindled person backs out, or never goes back, they will continue to use their photo and name to promote their center.
There are people I know personally - both Native and non - who have been approached by their staff for this nasty purpose. They use Facebook and other social media to try to find people they can exploit, or bribe into exploiting their culture.
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Henry seems primarily an entertainer. Her credits include appearing on the Pocahontas soundtrack for example. I recall there was another thread where we discussed Joanne Shenandoah appearing once at a Nuage event that she likely didn't realize was such until after. But with JH this is different.
BDC and the white wannabe "Huichols" who make up most of the "healers" there present JH as an elder and healer. She talks about music healing, and how music can be sacred. But that's more along the lines of singing the blues making you feel better, and a gospel singer regarding their music as sacred. BDC is misrepresenting her to give the impression she's an elder and healer. She takes care not to do that on her own site.
Henry and Oren Lyons seem to be the only ones who keep coming back. All the others have made a single appearance at either BDC or Sacred Fire Foundation events. BDC and SFF seem to be virtually the same organization and people, two groups under different names. And of course NDNs are far outnumbered by "white Huichols" plus several whites posing as African healers.
What might fool JH and Lyons is that some of the grants for SFF do seem to have a good purpose. At the same time these events are primarily ceremony selling to whites, offering the chance for them to become yet more whites who think they are Huichol healers.
Even if Cowan and his franchisees are completely sincere and do their best to present Huichol traditions accurately, it's still altering Huichol tradition. It's still whites presenting Huichol ways ripped from their context. It's still centered on individual ego of westerners.
There could be traditions that deserve to be and need to be taught to outsiders. The obvious ones would be herbal healing. But the last thing you should do would be set up franchises and ceremony selling. You'd go to university researchers or western doctors and work with them.
ETA: Edited out reference to Henry as NDN, which is very uncertain at best.
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Henry has made a career out of claiming an Indian identity. Would she have been hired without this claim? I think not. I personally do not believe she is Indian (Cherokee).
She doesn't say which Cherokee Tribe nor was she raised any where near the Cherokee. According to her bio she is from Washington DC and moved to New York at a young age. I think she looks African American.
And someone else mentioned that Cherokee women don't lead drums or dance and she doesn't seem to know the difference.
It would be interesting to do her genealogy, I can't find a birthdate on her though. Anyone know a little more about her?
Lim lemtsh,
Diana
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david cornsilk says she is NOT cherokee, that there is no such thing as an alligator dance and no such thing as "nuyagi keetoowah"..........................your welcome :)
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i contacted the huichol cultural center in mexico today and asked them for a statement and sent them links here and to some of the sites these assholes operate on...........hopefully they respond soon......if you have facebook look up united urban warrior society exposing the fakes project......am all over that spot
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david cornsilk says she is NOT cherokee, that there is no such thing as an alligator dance and no such thing as "nuyagi keetoowah"..........................your welcome :)
LOL!! Thanks MHS, I was wondering about that alligator dance. White people will believe anything. ::)
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he said it was a corruption and desecration of the gar dance.....which she may have seen at sometime with some stomp thrown in
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Henry has made a career out of claiming an Indian identity. Would she have been hired without this claim? I think not. I personally do not believe she is Indian (Cherokee).
She doesn't say which Cherokee Tribe nor was she raised any where near the Cherokee. According to her bio she is from Washington DC and moved to New York at a young age. I think she looks African American.
And someone else mentioned that Cherokee women don't lead drums or dance and she doesn't seem to know the difference.
It would be interesting to do her genealogy, I can't find a birthdate on her though. Anyone know a little more about her?
Lim lemtsh,
Diana
Name: Joan Christie
Also Known As: J Henry
2nd Also Known As Name: Joan A Henry
3rd Also Known As Name: Joani A Henry
Residence Date: 02 Nov 2004-01 Oct 2007
Residence Place: Shandaken, New York, United States
Birth Date: 01 Mar 1956
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/KGGY-5C8 (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/KGGY-5C8)
I don't know if Christie is a married or birth surname.
There are two names on that page listed as possible relatives. Dennis Yerry, who I think might not be related, but has done music work with her, her name is listed on his site. http://www.dennisyerry.com/ (http://www.dennisyerry.com/) Also a Maury S Christie, who I've not found much about yet.
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This is probably from 2009, but Joan (Joani Henry), an elder, is running Women's Sweat Lodges.
http://www.mynewsletterbuilder.com/email/newsletter/1409965179#13
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It seems she is taking part in spiritual esoteric events much more than I suggested, for e.g.
http://www.goldendrum.org/?s=joan+henry&x=0&y=0
Golden Drum
http://www.goldendrum.org/about/
Quote: GOLDEN DRUM is a cultural center created for the healing, transformation, and the expansion of consciousness of humanity. Golden Drum strives to offer unique programming opportunities through a diverse curriculum of classes, workshops, and events that integrate indigenous Native American teachings with philosophical systems and spiritual traditions from around the world.
Another page
http://www.parashakti.org/about/faculty
Quote: Joan Henry
Joan Henry - Composer & artist Joan Henry, traditional Song-carrier, hahesh’kah (lead drummer) and t’shomah (guardian of knowledge) is on call year-round to run women’s ceremonies, counsel youth & families and provide care to First Nations communities in New England, New York, the Northwest US, British Columbia and Winnipeg, Manitoba –Her ‘other life’ embraces dancing for stage, film, & television, nearly 30 recordings in native traditional, contemporary, classical and jazz venues, and directing Arts for Healing, a therapeutic initiative for pediatrics & oncology patients in upstate NY. (79) Joan Henry, a ha’heshkah & song-carrier of mixed Tsalagi/Nde’/Arawaka descent, has spoken on Native American approaches to women’s healing at the UN’s International Conference on the Status of Women and recently for Vassar College’s new Native American Studies program; she sings "everywhere." She is most beloved, however, for her Coyote stories… (50) T’shomah (guardian or keeper) of original ways & knowledge, identified as a youth by elders who guided her training, picking up where her grandparents began. counsels adolescent youth at-risk and teaches leadership, life skills & arts using an indigenous model; works with women & families. "In Tsalagi there’s no real word for art–it’s your life."
Charles"
Another page:
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/heart-mind-2013-festival
is about the heart and mind festival
Maybe she is travelling around different esoteric spiritual organisations. In this case she is not just an musican entertainer as I suggested before. The alligator dance seems to me nothing more than a funny dance. But there is much more behind.
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THE ALLIGATOR GAR DANCE IS PART OF A SERIES OF SOCIAL AND CEREMONIAL DANCES AMONG CREEK AND CHEROKEE TRADITIONALISTS, NOT JUST A "FUNNY DANCE", STURMBOE. Serious issues are involved in unqualified people passing parts of traditional songs and dances to people outside of the communities these cultural properties belong to.
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WolfHawaii,
I am sorry If I harmed you. In the way Henry taught this dance, in this way how she presented the dance I interpretated this as a "funny dance", her voice, her emotions, teaching a group (I think) she didn´t know. I couldn´t saw and felt any respect in this presentation, nothing. That´s why I got this feeling by her acting, that this dance must be a "funny dance", it is not just a lack of knowledge, but a missing lack of a deeper respect, she cannot deliver respect in this way how she teaches.