NAFPS Forum

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

July 26, 2018 | Republican-American (Waterbury, CT)
Page: B1 | Section: Local News

LITCHFIELD

Canton man charged after reports of erratic driver

State police arrested a Canton man on a drunken-driving charge following numerous 911 calls of an erratic driver on Route 202 on July 15.

State police said they found the vehicle on Route 118 and stopped the car after it was driving in the wrong lane.

Alan Laughing Bear Walker, 61, was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, failure to drive in the proper lane and driving a motor vehicle with a handheld electronic device.

He was released on $1,000 bond.

-----

I accessed this through NewsBank online via local public library.

We know he is a white, non-Native man.

More evidence:

QuoteAlan Laughing Bear Walker is listed at ... Asheville, Nc 28803 and has no political party affiliation. He is a white male registered to vote in Buncombe County, North Carolina.

https://voterrecords.com/voter/44721805/alan-walker

I found his official name change through https://erec.mypalmbeachclerk.com/

Summary of Dec 29,1992 document:
Paul Alan Manning, born April 29, 1957 in Flint MI elects to be called the name of Alan Laughing Bear Walker.

Clip is uploaded here, sign in to see.

In 2005 he changed the registered agent name for one of his companies Strong Tree, Inc. from Paul Manning to Bear Walker. Same Jupiter, Florida address. The form is uploaded here.

More on his mother Juanita Joyce (Mayo) Manning:

She died in 2001 in Pasco, Washington. Memorial service held in Pasco. She then was buried at La Porte Cemetery in Midland, Michigan. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/5824295/juanita-j-manning

Note that in 2001 obituary her son Paul Manning/Bear Walker was listed as "Paul of Florida".

Her son Michael James Manning is also buried at that cemetery, obit here: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/91131237/michael-james-manning

--------

'he trained in Clinical Ecology at the University of Pittsburgh" https://patch.com/new-york/bedford/local-healer-adds-modern-science-to-ancient-wisdom

He didn't, this isn't a thing at University of Pittsburgh. "Clinical ecology" is a pseudoscience.

So, so many false claims.

He used to work through the shop Awakenings in Katonah, NY.

https://web.archive.org/web/20080404175431/http://www.awakeningskatonah.com/services.htm

Kai Pyle wrote a MNopedia entry on "Ozaawindib" for the Minnesota Historical Society in 2018. An editor's note was added in 2025:

QuoteEditor's note: This article has been revised from its original version, which stated that Ozaawindib guided Henry Schoolcraft to the source of Gichi-ziibi (the Mississippi River) in 1832. Additional research has shown that there were two different Ojibwe leaders named Ozaawindib whose lives overlapped. The first, born in about 1748 and described above, was an agokwa from the Pillager band who participated in conflicts with Dakota warriors. The second, not an agokwa, was born closer to 1800, led an Ojibwe community at Gaa-miskwaawaakokaag (Cass Lake), and guided Schoolcraft's 1832 expedition. Schoolcraft's narrative of that expedition specifies that his guide was not the son of a chief. The sources that discuss the first Ozaawindib, however, refer to her as the child of a chief at Gaa-zagaskwaajimekaag (Leech Lake) named Wiishkobak.

---

Source: MNopedia Ozaawindib (ca. 1748–?) - By Kai Pyle
First Published: September 17, 2018   Last Modified: April 10, 2025
Direct Link: https://www.mnhs.org/mnopedia/search/index/person/ozaawindib-late-1700s
Internet Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20250720065413/https://www3.mnhs.org/mnopedia/search/index/person/ozaawindib-late-1700s

Kai Pyle conflated two different men named "Ozaawindib" born 50 years apart. This isn't an isolated event as Kai Pyle made similar mistakes with their own genealogical research.

It doesn't appear that Kai Pyle notified other websites that published their research on Ozaawindib that it's inaccurate. Here's a link to Kai Pyle's original work which is still accessible at The Activist History Review:

Source: The Activist History Review Ozaawindib, the Ojibwe Trans Woman the US Declared a Chief - By Kai Pyle
Date: June 13, 2019
Direct Link: https://activisthistory.com/2019/06/13/ozaawindib-the-ojibwe-trans-woman-the-us-declared-a-chief/#_ednref14
Internet Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20190718193050/https://activisthistory.com/2019/06/13/ozaawindib-the-ojibwe-trans-woman-the-us-declared-a-chief/#_ednref14#_ednref14

The Minnesota Historian cited Kai Pyle as their source for Ozaawindib acting a guide to Henry Schoolcraft which isn't accurate: https://www.minnesotahistory.org/post/lgbtqia-history-in-the-north-star-state.