Who is drummaker2000 ?
I received the following announcement in one of my groups....
QuoteSHARED VISIONS 2000 Invites you to a Native American Drummaking Weekend in a 25 acre woodland.
Lenwade, Norfolk
June 10 /11 June 24 / 25
for full details contact sharedvisions2000@hotmail.com or
07910244462
is he legit?
The only references I could find to "Shared Visions", mentioning anything about workshops, were cached pages....the site seems to be missing. ? The cached pages mention the name D.Stevens
http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:VrNTIIalLUYJ:sharedvisions2000.co.uk/drumbookfrm.htm+%22SHARED+VISIONS%22+drum&hl=en&gl=ca&ct=clnk&cd=2
http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:JFqFU4j3RKsJ:sharedvisions2000.co.uk/home.html+%22SHARED+VISIONS%22+drum&hl=en&gl=ca&ct=clnk&cd=1
No, of course he's not a legitimate Indian spiritual leader, if that's what you mean: nobody who does that sort of thing is. His name's Jon or John Stevens: he's a British guy cashing in on having once met a couple of Navajos (http://www.spiritualdawn.com/Journey%20into%20Shamanics.htm) while on a trip to America to find himself among the Indians. He is a disciple of the late fraud Kenneth Meadows and his still-living wife Beryl.
He claims to have 'a great love for the peoples, their crafts and their culture (http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/sharedvisions2000/index.html)', but will sell you a 'vision quest (http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/sharedvisions2000/quest.html)' or a 'medicine bag (http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/sharedvisions2000/Medicine.html)'.
Stevens seems to think himself knowledgable about 'the Indian and their culture' (http://www.spiritualdawn.com/A%20Simple%20Start%20to%20Shamanics.htm). See also his encyclopaedic pages on 'legends' (http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/sharedvisions2000/Legends.html) and 'history' (http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/sharedvisions2000/History.html).
Oh yuck. He has an association with Ken Meadows. I have a friend who "studied" with Meadows. She said he was not a nice man. He is arrogant and abusive.
Not any more, he's not! But now we have to deal with all the mini-Meadows he produced.
So, then, is anyone doing anything about these planned
QuoteNative American Drummaking Weekend
? ??
I don't know. Why not see if there's one nearer to you than England and leaflet it?
admits he not native but he makin loadsa money out of native crafts wonder if he givin any back
http://www.sharedvisions.co.uk/
Doubt it. Very much, and I have never heard of any Plains Indian Arts Foundation. Just another jump on the band wagon rip off merchant. I will contact him and see what he has to say
He mentions working with and being a follower of Kenneth Meadows. Meadows was an exploiter, a British man selling knockoffs of Lakota ceremony.