NAFPS Forum

Hello, I am a guest - read often though.

I have a question, which you probably have answered some place else.  If so, please direct me there.

I live in the Wash.D.C. area.  The local New Age magazine has ads about Qero Shamans, and Peruvian shamans, and trips to meet these people in South America.  Is this a new racket?

I have never heard of Qero shamans.  I know that Inka shaman is a fake name.  Is this more of the same?

Thanks for having this resource.

Virginia,

With Michael Harner's writings about shamanism he has taken the name used within a small band of Siberian peoples and utilized it to refer to practices he felt were commonly used worldwide.  He also organized those practices and began to teach them.  As his students decided to get into the "business??? of shamanism they wished to differentiate themselves from each other and add an air of the exotic to enhance their self-importance.  Many, and one of the reasons for this organization's existence if I understand it correctly, is some of these people claimed Native heritage that does not exist, claimed Native teachings that never happened, and in some cases either inappropriately adopted Native ceremonies or manufactured ceremonies with Native elements.  Although I disagree with the generalist attacks this organization makes on "New Age??? by lumping too much together, I do agree that it is likely that these "specialized??? shamanic practices are money mills and little else.

If the "Quero" shaman in question is Maria Yraceburu, then she is a fraud. There are no Quero Apaches. Educatedindian, from this site, is Apache and he has made some posts about that woman. Aldo, if they are "Toltecs" that would be hard considering there are no Toltecs left.

That was one of the names mentioned.  I know that anyone with a "don" in front of their names is a fake.  But what are the other ways to know they're fakes?  Do you have a list some place?