I've had a reply. Here it is in it's full content;
Country Parks Service
Nottinghamshire County Council
Rufford Abbey
Ollerton
Nottinghamshire
NG22 9DF
Tuesday, 01 August 2006
Dear Mr. B
I am responding to your recent complaint about the Sweat Lodge event run by Jason Sewell at Bestwood Country Park. Bestwood Country Park is managed by Nottinghamshire County Council.
Your complaint concerned Native American rights, and you stated that in the opinion of yourself and lobby group NAFPS (New Age Frauds and Plastic Shamen), the holding of sweat lodge ceremonies by non Native Americans out of context of their indigenous culture and involving a payment or donation was not acceptable to you. You stated that including such events in our country park programme implied mockery of traditional beliefs and native American culture and asked that the event be dropped in the future.
It is our responsibility to investigate complaints from the public, and to attempt to do this fairly and with respect for both sides. However, I must stress that it is not our role to be drawn into matters of religious or philosophical debate. I am aware of the very strong feeling which exist in the international debate concerning the rights and traditions of indigenous peoples around the world, but it would be no more appropriate for us to comment on these matters than it would to enter into the debate between representatives of various different Christian denominations.
I note that it is not uncommon for what I would term spiritual or philosophic techniques to be taken out of their original cultural context and used for purposes of health, relaxation, or community celebration in the West. Examples of this are yoga (from the Hindu tradition), Tai Chi and Xi Gong (from Chinese culture) or even Gregorian Chant (from medieval Christian monastic practice), many of which regularly feature in the events programmes of parks, colleges and public institutions.
As park managers, in deciding whether or not an event is suitable to be offered to the public our decision must be based primarily on such questions as:
· Is the event safe for public participation?
· Is there demand from the public for this type of event?
· Is it suitable for the outdoor / park setting?
· Is there evidence that participants enjoyed and felt benefit from the event?
· Have any fraudulent or misleading claims been made of it?
· Is it fairly priced, not excluding the low waged?
With this in mind I have made various enquiries of Mr. Sewell and the ranger staff at Bestwood Country Park, and have come to the following conclusions:
1. Safety
The organiser has carried out a comprehensive risk assessment for the event, and has public liability insurance for it. 37 events of this type have so far taken place at Bestwood and there have been no reports of any accident, injury or illness resulting from participation. We therefore consider that adequate consideration has been taken of public safety.
2. Public Demand
Park rangers report a considerable level of interest from park users in this event. 75 people have attended since January 28th this year. There would thus appear to be a demand for this type of event.
3. Suitability for Location
There are possible concerns over events which include the use of fires and hot coals, due to the fact that Bestwood occasionally attracts arson attacks. However, as the event is conducted under supervision and risk assessments have been carried out, we consider this acceptable. The location of country parks tends to appeal to those members of the public with an interest in outdoor ‘green’ and New Age events and other events of this nature are a regular feature of the events programme (e.g. The Goddess Camp).
4. User Satisfaction
Reports from event participants via the ranger service would appear to be very positive, but we prefer written evaluations to be carried out. I will suggest that in future our standard events evaluation form is distributed to participants and that these are returned to the park ranger team to ensure that we have an objective record of users’ satisfaction levels.
5. Fraudulent Claims?
You initial complaint drew my attention to the NAFPS website, which referred to persons misleading the public with fraudulent claims (e.g. white practitioners falsely claiming to be Native Americans). I note that the organiser of the Bestwood event, Jason Sewell, does not claim to be a Native American, and has been quite clear on this point in his publicity for the event. I believe that his training has taken place with Roland Torikan who works with the Mayan people in Mexico, rather than in the North American tradition. I have seen no evidence of any claim to be a ‘shamen’ or spiritual guru with intent to mislead the public.
6. Fairly Priced?
Because Bestwood Country Park is located in an area of high social deprivation, it is one of the aims of the park that events should be priced as low as possible, in order not to exclude those on low incomes. The price of £20 per participant for the event in question (with concessions offered) would appear to be reasonable given the length of the event, the cost of public liability insurance and the time taken to set up and take down the equipment. The question of whether or not any payment should be asked for a sweat lodge ‘ceremony’ (to which you object on moral and cultural grounds) does not appear to be relevant here, as the event is not promoted as a spiritual ceremony, but as a technique for healing / group sharing / meditation – in the same way that a Western yoga class does not purport to be a Hindu religious experience.
In conclusion, after consultation with the ranger team at Bestwood, we do not see any reason why the sweat lodge event should not be allowed to continue at Bestwood Country Park.
However, I would like to stress that the fact that we have come to this conclusion from a parks management point of view does not imply that we in any way disregard your sincere and strongly held views on the wider subject of Native American rights. I believe that this is a separate, personal and political matter, in which it would be inappropriate for us to become involved. I hope you will understand and respect this view.
Yours sincerely
Linda Hardy
Visitor Services Manager
Nottinghamshire Country Parks Service.
Basically she's saying that because they're making money and nobodies been hurt or voiced a complaint, other than me, they'll continue!
I will sit on this for 24 hours before I reply to make sure I word it correctly to clarify several points she's raised. Meanwhile if anyone has information on Roland Torikan please let me know.
Timberline