General > Frauds
Steve McCullough aka Iktomi Sha & Salt Creek Sundance
Johnnie:
Folks,
Although this thread is about McCullough, the feud between that clown and the other one in Indy is relevant. Just heard from someone about the guy John Crow Dog. Although he legally changed his name, his real name is John Wexler, or some have spelled it Wechsler, although I have seen it spelled Wexler only,
According to the story, back in 1985 or so, this Wexler character traveled to Crow Dog's paradise and sundanced. As many of you know, Leonard has been notorious for allowing non-Indians to dance, get pipes, and be sanctioned as "medicine men." Within a few years, Wexler changed his name to John Crazy Horse which gave fits to the local Indians here as well as drawing the attention of people from Oglala who demanded through Leonard that Wexler not use the Crazy Horse name. So, presto-chango, Wexler takes the Crow Dog family name.
I have not seen more than a mention of Wexler/Crow Dog on any of the Fraud websites and this is the first place I have seen mention of McCullough. Both these guys seem to have slipped below the radar. Anyway, somehow one of those guys mentioned above (I heard it was Red Cherries) was visiting Wexler and heard about the Salt Creek Sundance and there was talk of busting it up at one point a couple of years ago.
I even heard that the local AIM group out of Richmond, Indiana headed by Albert Running Wolf (?), was trying to get the special use permit pulled for the Sundance. That is when I also heard that Wexler Crow Dog, and some Lakotas from out in SD were planning the "raid" on the Sundance. Nothing ever came of it.
How involved McCullough might be now is up in the air. I heard he is withdrawing, and I also heard he is the Grand Poobah of the dance but cannot sign the application for the SUP.
More as I find it out.
Johnnie
Johnnie:
Folks,
From the Blomington Herald Times: Indiana (Local Lakota Tribe?) McCullough claims Remnant Band Shawnee
Sundance week starts Saturday
By J.J. McCorvey
jmccorvey@heraldt.com
Those who think American Indian sundances are all about fun, feathers, and face paint
should think again.
The local Lakota Tribe?s annual Salt Creek Sundance encourages personal and spiritual
growth and doesn?t just provide a week-long getaway. The activities, which begin
Saturday near Sundance Lake in Hoosier National Forest in Brown County and continue
through July 21, include prayer, singing, fasting, and a piercing ceremony.
The actual sundance will be held at sunrise on Wednesday. The event is open to the
public and participants are invited to stay on the campgrounds for the entire week, but
must provide their own camping essentials.
According to Sundance Chief Stephen McCullough, a sundance is a ?holy dance? in which
people can ?concentrate on prayers and get results.? Dancers will face a sacred tree
that will be cut down and brought in the preceding Tuesday in a tradition called ?Tree
Day.?
The first Salt Creek Sundance ceremony was in 1992. It originated in South Dakota, where
the Lakota Tribe culture comes from. The Lakota Tribe practices the Way of the Pipe,
which teaches how to ?walk in a good way.?
?It?s not so much of a religion as a way of life,? McCullough said, adding that people
of all religions and backgrounds have come out to participate in past sundances.
?We don?t try to change people?s religious faiths or be like us ... there will nobody
getting up to preach,? he said.
educatedindian:
Albert is a longtime member of NAFPS, but he hasn't posted here for awhile. I believe he's still over at one of the yahoo groups. I remember him discussing their trying to get the permit for the national park pulled.
Have you thought about writing to these papers to point out the Sundance is not what they'e claiming? Notice that the paper refers to a "local Lakota tribe" in INDIANA. The reporter didn't do the most basic fact checking.
Johnnie:
EI,
Sent an email to them, and several other Indian people sent one as well. Mine is posted below.
Mr. McCorvey,
RE: Your Bloomington Herald Times story on the Salt Creek Sundance.
I have a suggestion for a way better story. Ask the Forest Service why they would allow
a non-Indian named Steve McCullough a special use permit to conduct a "ceremony" that the
Lakota people have tried to shut down for the past five years. This is not only highly
unusual but illegal since McCullough is a non-Indian about to run a "ceremony" which is
highly dangerous in the hands of someone who does not know what they are doing.
You might also ask Mr. McCullough what tribe he is. If he says Lakota, he is lying. If
he says "Remnant Band Shawnee," a little digging will tell you that the RBS are fakes as
well. You will find that the Remnant Band Shawnee is a non-prifit organization which is
fleecing residents of Ohio and that it is run by a fraud and fake by the name of Hawk
Pope, a brother to another fraud named "Dark Rain Thom," who is the wife of your local
author Alexander Thom. Pope has been repeatedly accused of sexual misconduct with white
women, making them (even those as young as 12 years old) run around his complex with no
clothes on "cause that is how Indians used to dress."
A much better story for a wonderful reporter like you is how the "local Lakota tribe" was
able to establish themselves here in Indiana, more than six hundred miles from their
original territory.
For more information:
http://newagefraud.org/smf/index.php?topic=1245.0
New Age Frauds and Plastic Shamans has been tracking McCullough for years and not only is
he not who he says he is, he is conducting "ceremonies" for fun and profit.
That is a much more interesting story than the one you printed.
By the way, I am a Potawatomi who teaches Native American Religions at IUPUI and have
been involved in Native American ceremonies and traditions all my life. Some things you
should know.
1. There is no recognized Lakota tribe in Indiana. The nearest one is hundreds of miles
away in South Dakota.
2. There is no recognized Shawnee tribe in Indiana or Ohio, and anyone (including Ms.
Thom) who claims to be Shawnee is a fraud as well.
3. This is a highly dangerous and sacred ceremony not for amateurs and it is just a
matter of time before someone is seriously injured or killed as a result of this
fraudulent behaviour.
4. Someone needs to find out why the National Park Service is allowing this kind of
conduct in the Hoosier National Forest in violation of its own regulations, in violation
of the American Indian Religious Freedom Act, and against the wishes of the legitimate
Lakota Nations who have vigorously protested these kinds of rips offs.
5. Why did you not take the time to do a little research and ask the Potawatomi (Pokagon
Band) or the Miami of Indiana about this "ceremony." The sad fact is that most residents
of Indiana would not question this behavior or how a "local Lakota Tribe" as your article
asserts, was able to establish themselves right here in Indiana without a word of it
appearing in the history books or without notice to the other legitimate tribes here in
Indiana.
Good luck and good hunting Mr.McCorvey. On behalf of Indian people I thank you in
advance for the next installment of this story.
sapa:
Just stumbled across a relatively new website for the SCS complete with forum (however if you ask any semi hard questions the topic gets locked) and paypal to help defray cost.
Two other sundances eveyone is invited to are
One: In California run by Durwin WhiteLightening ( if the sundance is not enough for you there are also 2 peyote ceremonies available for open participation)
Two: The World Council of Elders is sponsoring an International traveling sundance the first in Montana and then around the world..
It is amazing to me that they all say this is the most sacred of lakota ceremonies and should be treated with the utmost respect but ................it simply isnt worth the time and effort required to travel to Indian Country, meet a reputable family, learn the ways and then maybe you will be invited to attend. It seems to me that far to many have forgotten that the leaders of old welcomed non natives to participate if they DID as the L/N/D ie live as one of the people........
Please excuse me, I guess I just woke up to how wide spread the abuses are.....
I apologise for the sarcasm
sapa
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