NAFPS Forum

There are many persons listed; at least two of them are "shamanic practitioners".

See: https://shamaniceducation.org/our-board/

There are lists of projects they support in Latin America.

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/shamaniceducation/

YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/ShamanicEducation

Is this organization doing legitimate work?

https://shamaniceducation.org/  The Center for Shamanic Education and Exchange

QuoteAbout The Center
Our mission is to perpetuate the spiritual wisdom, culture, practices, and traditional ways of life of Indigenous people. We support projects initiated and directed by Indigenous communities, benefiting them through the perpetuation of elder wisdom, rituals, ceremonies, and traditions. By honoring and supporting Indigenous people, we aim to reacquaint the world with its spiritual heritage and inspire current and future generations to value their unique cultures.

https://shamaniceducation.org/about/

QuotePerpetuating Indigenous wisdom, culture, and ways of life
Our MISSION
is to perpetuate Indigenous spiritual and shamanic wisdom, culture, and traditions.
We SUPPORT
projects that are conceived, implemented, and directed by the Indigenous communities that these projects directly benefit.
Indigenous led events, projects, and learning experiences that promote the continuation of Indigenous healing practices, ceremony, song, dance, art, language, and wisdoms.
connecting Indigenous healers of different cultures to honor the exchange of beliefs and ideas.
We BELIEVE
that by honoring and supporting Indigenous people in the perpetuation of their spiritual practices, we will inspire humanity to connect more deeply with our spiritual roots.

https://nativenewsonline.net/health/maine-utah-approved-to-reimburse-for-traditional-healing/

QuoteMaine, Utah Approved to Reimburse for Traditional Healing
by Elyse Wild — October 7, 2026
Native health care services in Maine and Utah can now be reimbursed through Medicaid for traditional healing services provided to Native people who meet eligibility requirements.

Last month, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that the states' respective Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Section 1115 applications were approved. Section 1115 allows states to apply for approval of Medicaid projects that serve the unique needs of their citizens but would otherwise violate federal rules.

The move joins Utah and Maine with California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Oregon in offering reimbursement for traditional healing, all of which were approved in 2024.

Utah's Traditional Healing application points to Urban Indian Organizations (UIOs) as eligible entities. Utah is home to the Urban Indian Center of Salt Lake, which provides traditional healing programming as part of its care for the Salt Lake City Native community. Each state varies in how it includes UIOs. The National Council of Urban Indian Health, a member of the CMS Tribal Technical Advisory Group, has asked CMS to provide guidance encouraging states with UIOs to include them when developing and implementing Traditional Healing coverage.

NCUIH CEO Francys Crevier, J.D. (Algonquin) said in a statement that including UIOs is important for the many Native people who receive care in urban centers.

"Traditional Healing is an essential part of Native health care, and these approvals for Utah and Maine build on the momentum we've seen since CMS's first Medicaid approvals," Crevier said. "Utah's inclusion of Urban Indian Organizations is especially meaningful for Native people who receive care in urban communities."

At the bottom there are links to three related articles.

Quote from: debbieredbear on February 13, 2007, 09:13:06 PMhttp://www.nysun.com/article/48491

American Indian Chief Performs Healing Ceremony for Upper West Siders
By GABRIELLE BIRKNER

The URL has changed to: https://www.nysun.com/article/new-york-american-indian-chief-performs-healing-ceremony

QuoteAmerican Indian Chief Performs Healing Ceremony for Upper West Siders
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

https://www.quora.com/Why-do-fabricated-identities-within-the-Native-American-community-like-Pretendians-tend-to-go-unnoticed-and-what-impact-does-this-have/answer/Al-Carroll-17
Why do fabricated identities within the Native American community, like "Pretendians," tend to go unnoticed, and what impact does this have?

It would depend on which type of imposters. At NAFPS we have seen that frauds who pose as Native medicine people, healers, or supposed tribes get outed incredibly fast. Sometimes within days of first appearing, and only rarely will a plastic shaman or their group go over a year without being exposed. If it does take longer it is because their fraud is often going on in Europe or elsewhere far away from Native communities. Or in remote parts of Latin America.

Partly this is because what they are attacking, abusing, commercializing, defrauding, and desecrating is so very important to so many people. I recall Kiesha Crowther claimed to be both a medicine woman for all Native tribes (including in New Zealand and Europe) and a messiah figure.

It was very obvious fraud, done for $6000 per person phony ceremonies, claiming to be the leader of the Sioux Salish. (For non Natives, this is a mishmash of two unrelated peoples, and she was ignorant enough to use the outdated colonial name for one of them.) She faced protests everywhere she went and backed down, admitting it was all her own personal beliefs, not Native at all. There were also some obvious mental health issues, leaving her husband and children to play white savior.

It is very hard to get away with being a spiritual fraud now. Pre internet, it took years to find out what was going on, track them, protest and marginalize them. Now they are always on the defensive within weeks typically. They have to resort to trying to keep their fraud ceremonies secret, and some even have security details or are heavily armed, like the late Harley Reagan and his Deer Tribe.

Many in the political arena get found out quickly. Chrystal Neria AKA Kaya Jones was once one of the Pussycat Dolls before joining MAGA as supposed ambassador of his Diversity Coalition (seriously.) Her silly claim of being an Apache whose reservation in Toronto was removed (seriously) was so obviously phony, she was publicly mocked within hours.

Obviously neither of these, and most New Age frauds, do not happen within Native communities. A lot of Natives will tell you about their NDN radar, not too different from gays and gaydar. Within communities it does not happen much. The only obvious famous examples are Beverly Santamaria/Buffy St Marie and Maria Cruz/Sacheen Littlefeather. But affecting communities, all the time.

ETA: Within academia, I would say the more damage an imposter does the quicker they will be outed. Carlos Castaneda and his phony Don Juan story was criticized immediately upon publication by Natives. For academics, it took almost another decade until one of their own, Jay Fikes, compiled a list of Castaneda falsehoods. Jackie Marks AKA Jamake Highwater also was outed immediately and shunned by Natives, even while academia embraced him for almost a decade and the Star Trek series even longer. Ward Churchill was initially embraced while working with AIM, then quickly outed once he entered academia and tried to pass off hippie revolutionary posturing as Native. The longest case it took to happen I know of is Thomas King, who himself did not know he was not Native until he was 83. There is no sign of King doing any damage (actually quite a bit of good) except for a single award intended for Natives only that he gave back once he realized he was not.

https://www.quora.com/How-does-the-Native-American-Guardians-Association-feel-about-the-Massapequa-Chiefs-and-New-Yorks-ban-on-Native-American-imagery/answer/Al-Carroll-17
How does the Native American Guardians Association feel about the Massapequa Chiefs and New York's ban on Native American imagery?

They are opposed to it. They are NOT a Native group or assn. They are an astroturf group founded and funded by Dan Snyder, originally to keep the Washington team name as the R word, the worst epithet for Natives there is.

NAGA leaders include Mark Yancy AKA Mark Suzuki AKA Mark Yazzie AKA Mark One Wolf a professional Pretendian for profit. A light skinned Black man who has at different times posed as Navajo, Cherokee, Apache, Shinnecock, Native Alaskan, and Aztec.

Mark Yancy AKA Mark Suzuki AKA Mark Yazzie AKA Mark One Wolf
http://www.newagefraud.org/smf/index.php?topic=4472.0
Other leaders include William Brotherton, a Pretendian leader of the so called Abenaki Nation of Missisquoi. Actual Abenaki consider them frauds.

There is also one member claiming Cherokee ancestry who led efforts to hold onto the insulting Fighting Illini mascot. The rest are Natives kept as tokens. They live far away from the actual leadership of the group and rarely meet or do anything but agree to have their names on letterheads

https://www.quora.com/Is-the-Lenape-Nation-of-Pennsylvania-legitimate-or-pretendian-Does-coming-from-a-non-former-Jim-Crow-state-make-it-any-more-reliable/answer/Al-Carroll-17

Is the Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania legitimate or pretendian? Does coming from a non-former Jim Crow state make it any more reliable?

A2A. Over at NAFPS we have written about them here.

Adam Depaul AKA Adam Waterbear, Lenape Nation of PA
http://www.newagefraud.org/smf/index.php?topic=5642.0
Other Lenape do not consider them legitimate. They are more of a heritage group, descendants trying to reconnect. I would not call them pretenders or imposters of the kind we usually see. From the POV of Lenape, the main damage they do is when they claim to speak as Lenape when giving cultural presentations, or even when they are the ones consulted for matters like repatriations of remains or sacred items.

The problem is that the original Lenape in PA either were forced out or broken up as a tribal group 200 years ago. This group has only been together since the late 1990s. To be recognized as a tribal nation, you must keep together as political unit since before 1900.

In 2015 the Delaware tribe passed a resolution against what they called fabricated groups or corporations posing as tribes. Between six to eight generations have passed. This is not something easily recovered.

There are plenty of dubious or wishful thinking groups out there besides in the south. For example, a lot of French Quebec have recently tried what is called there race shifting, posing as Metis (French and Native mixed) in order to OPPOSE Native rights to land and other matters.

There are also some dubious groups claiming to be Lenape. And they are probably the second most commonly impersonated Native people after Cherokee.

Quote from: Advanced Smite on October 03, 2026, 10:16:50 PMI found a hidden comment on one of Bear Walker's Circle of Health YouTube videos which is quoted and linked below. @professorpreston9543 alleges the FTC took action against Bear Walker for making deceptive claims about his BioTracker products in the early 2000's. I'm trying to track down additional information from the FTC.

Quote@professorpreston9543    9 months ago

Dr. Bear Walker's "Biotracker" products were involved in a significant FTC case for making unsubstantiated, potentially harmful cancer claims, leading to a settlement and restitution order in the early 2000s; while modern "biotrackers" (wearables) are different, Walker's past treatments for cancer were deemed deceptive and dangerous by the FTC, not legitimate health devices.

Key Points:

* FTC Action: The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) took action against Dr. Bear Walker for deceptive advertising, specifically claims that his products made cancer treatments unnecessary.

* Unproven & Harmful Claims: The FTC found his claims lacked scientific evidence and noted testimony from oncologists suggesting potential harm to cancer patients.

* Legal Consequences: Walker had to stop making these unsubstantiated claims and pay consumer restitution as part of a settlement.

* Modern "Biotrackers" vs. Walker's Products: Today, "biotracker" often refers to fitness wearables (like smartwatches) that track activity, which are generally for wellness, not curing diseases like cancer. Walker's "Biotracker" was a specific, unproven treatment, not a general health tracker.

In summary, Dr. Bear Walker's products were associated with a legitimate government action against deceptive medical claims, not a legitimate health product.

---

Source: @professorpreston9543 Comment - YouTube Circle of Health - BioTracker Patient Results
Direct Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auUkqaxaV5Q

Sandy S found information about a David L. Walker that reached a settlement with the FTC in 2002: https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2002/10/bogus-cancer-cure-guru-settles-ftc-charges. Neither of us have been able to find anything about Alan Laughing Bear Walker, Alan Walker, Bear Walker, or Paul Manning and an FTC settlement. The comment from @professorpreston9543 is an allegation without supporting evidence.

Big thanks to Sandy S for all her amazing research!

QuoteDr. Bear Walker, a revered Indigenous doctor and healer, will explore the profound integration of Indigenous medicine and the profound impact of plant medicine, including ibogaine...

https://newlifeexpo.com/speakers/dr-baer-walker/

Ibogaine is a Schedule 1 drug under the Controlled Substances Act of USA.
https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/schedules/orangebook/c_cs_alpha.pdf

QuoteUnder federal law, Schedule I is the most restrictive category of controlled substances, reserved for drugs the government has found to have a high potential for abuse, no currently accepted medical use in the United States, and no accepted safety for use even under medical supervision. A drug placed in Schedule I cannot be prescribed in ordinary medical practice, carries the harshest federal criminal penalties, and can only be handled legally by researchers who obtain a special DEA registration.

https://fedlaws.org/what-does-schedule-1-mean-drugs-penalties-and-research/

QuoteIbogaine can cause fatal arrhythmias. The literature includes at least 33 reported deaths associated with ibogaine exposure, predominantly occurring in unregulated settings without pre-dose ECG screening, continuous monitoring, or electrolyte correction.

https://mindmedicinelaw.com/guides/ibogaine

Bear Walker is not revered, not Indigenous, not a healer. Definitely not someone to listen to about ibogaine or any other substance.

I found a hidden comment on one of Bear Walker's Circle of Health YouTube videos which is quoted and linked below. @professorpreston9543 alleges the FTC took action against Bear Walker for making deceptive claims about his BioTracker products in the early 2000's. I'm trying to track down additional information from the FTC.

Quote@professorpreston9543     9 months ago

Dr. Bear Walker's "Biotracker" products were involved in a significant FTC case for making unsubstantiated, potentially harmful cancer claims, leading to a settlement and restitution order in the early 2000s; while modern "biotrackers" (wearables) are different, Walker's past treatments for cancer were deemed deceptive and dangerous by the FTC, not legitimate health devices.

Key Points:

* FTC Action: The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) took action against Dr. Bear Walker for deceptive advertising, specifically claims that his products made cancer treatments unnecessary.

* Unproven & Harmful Claims: The FTC found his claims lacked scientific evidence and noted testimony from oncologists suggesting potential harm to cancer patients.

* Legal Consequences: Walker had to stop making these unsubstantiated claims and pay consumer restitution as part of a settlement.

* Modern "Biotrackers" vs. Walker's Products: Today, "biotracker" often refers to fitness wearables (like smartwatches) that track activity, which are generally for wellness, not curing diseases like cancer. Walker's "Biotracker" was a specific, unproven treatment, not a general health tracker.

In summary, Dr. Bear Walker's products were associated with a legitimate government action against deceptive medical claims, not a legitimate health product.

---

Source: @professorpreston9543 Comment - YouTube Circle of Health - BioTracker Patient Results
Direct Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auUkqaxaV5Q