NAFPS Forum
General => Research Needed => Topic started by: Jkewageshig on October 11, 2017, 12:41:50 pm
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So I was just reading on the web about herbs. Specifically, I was reading about the healing properties of Goldenrod, and abundant and healing plant which I use a lot. My search took me to this website and my jaw kinda dropped. I am going to look more closely. It claims to be introducing Mdewin concepts, but also appears to feature well know white, settler herbalists. Maybe I missed something? Is anyone familiar with this website? To me, the little bit I have looked at so far seems to written from the perspective of someone who is not familiar with Anishinaabe culture..... http://midewigaan.weebly.com/evil-mide.html
Lol..... yeah, I guess I copied and pasted their page on "evil" more.
Joanne
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Its hard to tell who runs this website. There is no "about us" page on it. I am familiar with two of the herbalists listed when you followed the "Good Midew" links - Jim McDonald and Rosalee de la Foret.
In conversations amongst herbalists about cultural appropriation, both Jim and Rosalee show borderline understanding of the issue, with the general consensus amongst the dominant scene of mostly white herbalists being that it is "OK" to use something from another culture so long as you "have permission". This is a sentiment that was expressed by Jesse "Wolf" Harden (who is seen as a sort of herbal philosopher - rolls eyes). An interview with Hardin was published and widely circulated - including by Rosalee - after public criticism of Hardin's strategy of "reindigenization" were deleted and silenced. Reindigenization, as I am sure you can guess, basically goes like: white people are lost; white people need roots; white people should find land that appeals to them, get to know the plants and animals on the land and boom, just like that! White people are indigenous too!! (Rolls eyes still more!)
So, I guess I am not sure if Jim or Rosalee are aware that they are being linked on this site. The links don't represent all of their work. I am not trying to defend them, per se, but would like the facts, as it were.
I maintain Facebook friendships with many herbalists who have questionable points of view when it comes to CA, for the specific purpose of knowing what's up, and also to be able to address the people who are acting in unacceptable ways. Both Jim and Rosalee are FB friends of mine although I do not know either one personally. So, I was thinking about asking them directly about it, but debating if I should ask privately or publicly. I know for sure that Jim has heard my views on CA and most certainly does not view me as a favorable person, lol. But I have no issues with addressing this directly. I would appreciate any feedback others have as to what is the best way to go about it. My feeling is that just addressing it through a private email or message gives them the opportunity to back out without being held accountable. Whether they know or don't know they are linked on this website, I think a public apology and clarification of their association with it (or lack thereof?) would be in order.
Maybe I am wrong, but to me, this website does not look like it has been developed by a person indigenous to Turtle Island. They don't appear to really know what they are talking about in relation to Mdewin. They don't refer to any indigenous elders or healers, only to settler herbalists.
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And can anyone help me with how to look up who owns a domain name?
Joanne
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I live in Michigan and know some people in the Midewin society and it is a very closed and guarded tradition. One Anishnaabe elder I knew who taught the language at American Health and Indian Services in Detroit said they wouldnt let him in because he had been baptized as a youngster. So as far as this website having anything to do with the medewin I would say no it is appropriation. I also sort of know Jim McDonald, he is not native and while he knows a lot about herbs should not be described as having any native teachings
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And can anyone help me with how to look up who owns a domain name?
Joanne
In this case, weebly.com owns the domain, so that won't help us learn who runs this particular weebly site.
In general, https://whois.icann.org/en works as a whois search.
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Thanks for your comments. I did manage to find out a little bit more, but yeah, can't crack who is attached to the weebly website.
If you look on the main portion of the midewigaan dot weebly site, there is a link on that page titled "Native American Medicine", but it takes you to something called HerbTV: http://www.herbtvonline.com/
Which says clearly in there is owned by person named David LaLucerne. And the website features more videos from white, settler herbalists. A friend was able to find the info that officially links LaLucerne to the herbtv website. I can only imagine that the Midiwigaan dot weebly site is connected to the same person, but cannot prove it. On the homepage for herbtv, LaLucerne explains that he grew up on a street called Kinickinik, and so he is practically a medicine man, 😂😂.
Other research reveals that LaLucerne is, apparently a well known Herbalist, although today is the first I have heard of him. But, he rubs shoulders with all the important herbalists, lol.
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And can anyone help me with how to look up who owns a domain name?
I use these: http://whois.domaintools.com/ & https://www.whois.com/whois/
About: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DomainTools & https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WHOIS
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Which says clearly in there is owned by person named David LaLucerne.
[…]
On the homepage for herbtv, LaLucerne explains that he grew up on a street called Kinickinik, and so he is practically a medicine man, …
Elsewhere it's David, here Dave LaLuzerne; and Kinnikinnick (not Kinickinik):
Hello,I’m Dave LaLuzerne and I want to help you learn more about herbal medicine.
[…]
I also grew up on Kinnikinnick Ave in Milwaukee. Kinnikinnick is what the Native Americans called their herbal smoking mixtures.
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If you look on the main portion of the midewigaan dot weebly site, there is a link on that page titled "Native American Medicine", but it takes you to something called HerbTV: http://www.herbtvonline.com/
The link actually says "Native American Herbalism" (and goes to HerbTVonline.com (http://HerbTVonline.com).)
Elsewhere it's David …
Here it's only David, but clearly the same person (and there is a photo, too):
HerbTV's Page!
About
name: David
location: Middleton, WI, US
joined: 10 years ago
website: www.HerbTVonline.com
See also:
http://www.veoh.com/list/c/HerbTV
http://www.veoh.com/list/u/HerbTV
http://www.veoh.com/users/HerbTV/groups
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Not so much an interview, rather a rewrite of Mr. LaLuzerne's self-description, complete with photo:
Learning about herbal medicine with David LaLuzerne
Susun Weed interviews producer, videographer and herbalist David LaLuzerne
David LaLuzerne calls himself an "herbal pharmacist." That's because before he started learning about herbs, he worked as a licensed pharmacist in Wisconsin. After spending the 70's and 80's as a pharmacist, he incorporated Green Earth Herbs, an herb shop in Madison into his practice. Pharmacists have always been trusted as a community resource for medical information, especially about drugs.
As a “reformed” pharmacist, working in his herb and vitamin shop, David then became a resource in the community for information about using herbs safely and effectively – an herbal pharmacist if you will.
As his herbal knowledge increased, he began looking for ways to teach others about the benefits of using herbal medicine instead of always relying on prescription or OTC drugs. He knew that herbs were a better recourse for chronic conditions and wanted to spread the word.
Along the way Dave fell in love with video production, and wanting to do more to educate others, he started his own weekly cable access show, HerbTV. Soon enough demand for his show spread beyond Madison, so he began compiling his best work on DVD's.
As his last name is French for alfalfa, it seems his interest in herbs for medicine was inborn. He also grew up on Kinnikinnick Ave in Milwaukee. Kinnikinnick is what the Native Americans called their herbal smoking mixtures. These herbal instincts were further fueled while in pharmacy school and his class was the last to have pharmacognosy as required course work. His herbalism continued to be nurtured while working in a pharmacy collective in Madison, Wisconsin and David began to incorporate herbs into the usual pharmacy mix of OTC drugs.
His current project HerbTV has two purposes. The first is educating people about the many uses for herbs in their lives. To date, over 80 half hour programs have been produced and broadcast on access channels in Wisconsin. Some of the titles include: “The Wizard of Weeds”, “Dandelions”, “An Herbal Valentine”, “The Mexican-Indian Herbal Tradition”, “A Natural Pregnancy with Aviva Romm”, “Talking with David Winston – Cherokee Medicine”, and “Don Antonio – A Peruvian Shaman”.
Another purpose is to compile a taped archive of American herbalism and herbalists. David has already done interviews with Matthew Wood, Aviva Romm, David Winston, Jim Duke, Doug Elliott, David Hoffmann, Phyllis Light, Mark Blumenthal, Michael and Lesley Tierra, Amanda McQuade Crawford, Susun Weed, Mindy Green, Rosemary Gladstar , Brigitte Mars and Candis Cantin. Another project is a history of the Eclectics.
Now many HerbTV shows (35 half-hour shows to date) are available for viewing (free of charge) on the Internet network Veoh.com. David also has longer, educational DVDs available at his website HerbTVonline.
I have bolded the titles of three videos; I'll try to find out more about the persons portrayed.
(http://www.wisewomanradio.com/images/herbtv-dave.jpg)
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Seems he sought funding a couple of years for a project I find no information about elsewhere:
Native People's Video Project
Helping to preserve Native People's healing and herbal knowledge.
David LaLuzerne
Middleton, United States
HerbTV Native Peoples Video Project
Hello, I'm Dave LaLuzerne, creator of HerbTV. I'm an herbalist and pharmacist. For the past 10 years I have been using video to create an archive of North American herbalism. Herbalist Matthew Wood taught me about the vast contribution of Native Americans to our herbal knowledge. He inspired me to begin HerbTV's Native People's Video Project. To date I have produced videos about Native American healing with Victoria Fortner (Shawnee) and Patrisia Gonzales (Kickapoo, Comanche and Macehaul). And videos about Bear medicine, Elk medicine, Rabbit medicine, and Snakeroots with Matthew (student of Tis Mal Crow,Muskogee)
The next video I want to produce is an interview with Russell Willier, a Canadian Cree healer.
Russell was born on the Sucker Creek Reserve in northern Alberta. He grew up in a large family of twelve brothers and sisters. His father was a skilled hunter and trapper who passed his knowledge about the traditional Woods Cree way of life on to his son. Even at an early age, Russell showed signs of having been selected by the Spirit World to be a healer, but he resisted for many years. Eventually, he accepted this responsibility and received the medicine bundle of his great grandfather, Moostoos, a well-known healer. By the time Russell received his medicine bundle, the knowledge of how to use the little plant packets in his medicine bundle had been lost, so Russell showed them to elders and asked if they knew how these “combinations” were used. Gradually, over many years, Russell pieced together the information he needed to begin practice as a Medicine Man. Russell, who still lives on the Sucker Creek Reserve, travels extensively to treat those who call upon him for help.
I want to raise $4,000 to fund this project
All my past video projects have been self-funded. But now I need your help to make my video about Russell a reality. Help me to document this important information. The video will be available for public viewing on my YouTube/HerbTV channel when it is completed.
The money raised will be used for travel and lodging expenses, video supplies, and editing and production expenses.
These are the perks you can get
For a $25 contribution you'll receive a personal credit at the end Russell's video.
For a $50 contribution you'll get a DVD with the Native American Healing and Herbalism teachings of Victoria, Patricia and Matthew plus a personal credit at the end of Russell's video.
For a $100 contribution you'll receive a copy of
["A Cree Healer" book
You'll receive a first edition copy of "A Cree Healer and His Medicine Bundle" written by Robert Dale Rogers and David Young in collaboration with Russell Willer. Publication date is in June, 2015. You'll also get a credit at the end of Russell's video.]
plus a personal credit at the end of Russell's video.
For a $200 contribution, you'll receive all three of the above perks.
Other Ways You Can Help
If you just can't contribute, that doesn't mean you can't help:
• You can help get the word out and make some noise about my campaign.
• Spread the word to your social media contacts.
• Or you can use the Indiegogo share tools!
Lots of names and links in there, I will take a closer look at all of them, time permitting.
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["A Cree Healer" book
You'll receive a first edition copy of "A Cree Healer and His Medicine Bundle" written by Robert Dale Rogers and David Young in collaboration with Russell Willer. Publication date is in June, 2015. You'll also get a credit at the end of Russell's video.]
There is a typo in that quote, correct name is Russell Willier. And the book exists (with Look inside):
A Cree Healer and His Medicine Bundle: Revelations of Indigenous Wisdom--Healing Plants, Practices, and Stories
Paperback – June 9, 2015 — by David Young (Author), Robert Rogers (Author), Russell Willier (Author)
With the rise of urban living and the digital age, many North American healers are recognizing that traditional medicinal knowledge must be recorded before being lost with its elders. A Cree Healer and His Medicine Bundle is a historic document, including nearly 200 color photos and maps, in that it is the first in which a native healer has agreed to open his medicine bundle to share in writing his repertoire of herbal medicines and where they are found. Providing information on and photos of medicinal plants and where to harvest them, anthropologist David E. Young and botanist Robert D. Rogers chronicle the life, beliefs, and healing practices of Medicine Man Russell Willier in his native Alberta, Canada. Despite being criticized for sharing his knowledge, Willier later found support in other healers as they began to realize the danger that much of their traditional practices could die out with them.
With Young and Rogers, Willier offers his practices here for future generations. At once a study and a guide, A Cree Healer and His Medicine Bundle touches on how indigenous healing practices can be used to complement mainstream medicine, improve the treatment of chronic diseases, and lower the cost of healthcare. The authors discuss how mining, agriculture, and forestry are threatening the continued existence of valuable wild medicinal plants and the role of alternative healers in a modern health care system. Sure to be of interest to ethnobotanists, medicine hunters, naturopaths, complementary and alternative health practitioners, ethnologists, anthropologists, and academics, this book will also find an audience with those interested in indigenous cultures and traditions.
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Note: There is a typo in the very title of this thread, it should be Midewigaan website, not Midewiigan.
I did manage to find out a little bit more, but yeah, can't crack who is attached to the weebly website.
If you look on the main portion of the midewigaan dot weebly site, there is a link on that page titled "Native American Medicine [Herbalism]", but it takes you to something called HerbTV: http://www.herbtvonline.com/
Which says clearly in there is owned by person named David LaLucerne. And the website features more videos from white, settler herbalists. A friend was able to find the info that officially links LaLucerne to the herbtv website. I can only imagine that the Midiwigaan [Midewigaan] dot weebly site is connected to the same person, but cannot prove it.
I found another indication that http://midewigaan.weebly.com/ has much to do with D. LaLucerne's HerbTV. There is a video on the front page, and it links to a playlist from HerbTV's channel on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLe4qzVqEM4AGsNsWGXYQv8BVf9ONv22hD&time_continue=9&v=YkdOXLbv65o
Introduction to Native American Herbalism
watched 4,354 times
HerbTV
Published June 4, 2014
In this video Matthew Wood discusses some general concepts of Native American herbalism and then talks about the many snake roots used by Indians. This is the first in a series about spirit animals and their plant medicines.
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I have looked more closely at this website. Aside from all the references to herbalist sites and video lectures about Native American's use of herbs, and organic foods, natural living, etc., I found a shocking array of recommendations of disgusting conspiracy theories and quack medicine:
http://midewigaan.weebly.com/healthcare-documentary-videos.html
http://midewigaan.weebly.com/-war-on-health-gary-nulls-documentary-exposing-the-fda.htmll
http://midewigaan.weebly.com/genetic-roulette-the-gamble-of-our-lives-by-gary-null.html
http://midewigaan.weebly.com/-seeds-of-death-unveiling-the-lies-of-gmos.htm
Antidotes:
https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Gary_Null
https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Seeds_of_Death
https://www.quackwatch.org/04ConsumerEducation/null.html
http://midewigaan.weebly.com/physician-caused-diseases.html (Links to Joel Wallach)
Antidote:
http://skepdic.com/wallach.html
I also noted a link to "Dr". Joseph (Joe) Mercola's site. Better read this first:
https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Joseph_Mercola
Now this is the worst I found so far:
http://midewigaan.weebly.com/cancer-is-serious-business-dr-stanislaw-burzynski.html
Here is the backside of that coin:
https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Burzynski_clinic
https://theotherburzynskipatientgroup.wordpress.com/
https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/three-myths-about-stanislaw-burzynski-and-the-skeptics/
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Lots of names and links in there, I will take a closer look at all of them, time permitting.
I started with Herbalist Matthew Wood & Native American Herbalism:
http://www.newagefraud.org/smf/index.php?topic=5091.0
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OK, great. Thanks for all of that. That is awesome. Yes I am familiar with most of these herbalists, including Matthew Wood and all of his various claims of being trained by Native Americans. I remember looking up the info about Tis Mal Crow that you referenced in the next thread, when I was trying to validated or refute Wood's claims.
All of the people that are featured on HerbTV are "big time" herbalists, many almost revered and well respected within the community (not by me). There have been many, many conversations online about appropriation amongst herbalists and obviously, they all claim that appropriation does not happen by herbalists.
But this website, this Midewigaan (sorry for the typo) kinda flies in the face of claiming that there is no appropriation. Especially the name of the web page which means Midewin Lodge. So I am quite confident in feeling that this is messed up what is being done. These settlers misrepresenting themselves as those who are carrying on Native American traditions. And they don't even know what they are talking about. I have shared this website with friends who are Mide. They will be taking a look and getting back to me.
Sharing this website, tagging the herbalists in an FB post would bring the issue of appropriation into sharp focus and the herbalists who have been filmed and presented in HerbTV, I think, should issue an apology for this gross misrepresentation of themselves as Mide.
I think I stated before that I have maintained friendships with herbalists on FB to listen in and to be able to take on cultural appropriation. I am but one voice and one that does not hold much weight with (most) of these people because I have spoken about appropriation so much already. But, I can and will do so again if it would be helpful. I think I am even FB friends with Matthew Wood.
As an aside. I am also on several FB groups with a number of these people. Wood tinctures lizards that cats kill to treat Lyme disease.
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An update here. I did post on Facebook about the Midewigaan website and a few things have transpired since then.
Most significantly the website has been taken down.
Jim Mcdonald, who has been mentioned above was tagged in the post and he took steps to address the issue immediately. We have also spoken to one another about it and I hope that progress in understanding appropriation and fraudulent behavior is starting to be made. But still so much more to be done.
Jim had gotten on the phone with Weebly and figured out how to file a complaint about the site and misrepresentations. Jim also shared the information about how to do this and soon after the Midewigaan site was removed.
What also came out - and another herbalist was able to find this information - is that David LaLuzerne did not host the Midewigaan site. It was created by someone named Natalia DeLeon. Others have made attempts to contact her and we are waiting to hear back what she might have to say, if anything. No one who was following the issue amongst herbalists seemed to know who she is, though a sentiment was expressed that she must be somewhat familiar with the herb scene as she had some sense of what to post, etc.
Also what came out of this was discussion of Fortner's fraud. A few of us are working with a Shawnee historian and genealogist to present the research and information about Fortner to the American Herbalists Guild. This Shawnee woman has been active on this board in the past, exposing Frauds.
So, that is an update as of now.
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I should also add that the FB post may well have brought some of those engaged in it over to this Forum, including Jim.
He has read over this thread and expressed to me that he was disappointed that I started that he viewed me unfavorably and asking if that statement could be changed.
But, comments cannot be edited in here for the purpose of holding people accountable for what they say. And so I am acknowledging that I have found out that Jim does not feel this way. I also encouraged him to join the forum and have a read around. This forum has been invaluable to me to deepen my understanding of appropriation and I think that other herbalists should take the initiative to educate ourselves as well.
Finally, I think it is important to stress that anyone who does join the forum, you must read certain flagged threads/discussions and you must introduce yourself before you contribute.