NAFPS Forum

Here in Belgium (believe it or not) there are a lot of wannebees natives (yeah white indians -) and a lot of plastic shamans, who sell your ceremonies for a lot of money. Me myself i have a Celtic background, not only because my grandmother and her whole family came out of Ireland, but because i see myself doing things, without reading somethings in books or go for te internet surch. My granddad and mother, told me a lot of stories, so i whas born in the culture of my inheritance that is Celtic. But to be very clear, not only Ireland is and whas Celtic, the whole of Europe whas, only a lot of people seem to forget that, and surch for something else, that isn't theirs, for exemple native ceremonies.
Some years ago, i wrote an article about the abuse and moneygaining new age that whas coming over Europe. And believe me i have nothing against new age (because the white man has lost his religion when he started to sa, this mine!), as long if it is with respect and understanding towards all cultures, who am i to judge anyway? I'm not native, only white European. But when i wrote that article about the native ceremonies, that where for sail as if they where merchandise. I still don't know why i wrote that, perhaps it is because i couldn't stand it, if people commercialize what is holy? And with that i mean every religion, every way of living.
Some time later i whas invited to a Sundance in Arizona. To be honest, i have traveled a lot in my life and i have seen som places, but to go to a Sundance? No. I said thanks and reminded the person asking me, that i wasn't a native, but just a Europian girl that couldn't have it, that everything whas for sail.
I got a second e-mail, in which he wrote, that the reason for my invitation whas, to show how holy the native ceremonies where, and so i could bring it out to the European countries. and they would have more respect for it, instead of fooling around.
I went. I don't want to write much about it, because it whas a humble and a thankfull visit, to a land and a nation, that is the oldest on this Earth. I met Arvol Looking Horse, because he whas honored guest on the Black mountain Sundance and i talked about the European, more specific Belgian plastic shamans, that this should stop. Because if we look at the other religions or other ways of living, with their ceremonies, we don't do that, we don't use ceremonies from the budism or we don't build a cross to celebrate christianity, and ask a lot of money
But what i do know is that my Celtic background, brings me to ceremonies too. And even i never have been reading about them, but saw my grandparents still do them, i know they are right, no doubt about it. In humbleness, in respect, without a lot of noise and surely without talking about money! We also honour the Earth, we have underground sweatlodges and we dance and celebrate the whole night on the evening of Samhain (the end of the harvest saison), and we bring thanks to her we honour so much. From some peoples point of vieuw i'm a witch, because i behave otherwise, my offerings aren't tabaco, but i offer in so many othe ways.
When i came back from the Sundance and at the same time from the reserve. I whas sad at one site, because the genocide is still going on!!! I came back in Belgium and didn't talk about my visit for a long time. How can the world be so blind? How come that a whole nation still has to fight for a right to live normal? So many people, so many generations and the outsde world stays blind. I saw more people on the reserve with diabetis, than in the whole of belgium! And than to know you guy's don't have sickensurance? When you become sick in Europe it doesn't mather if you have money on your account or not, you will be cured, because there is very big backup for those who are sick.
This year, Louise Whitewather Begay died. The mother of Paul Crane Tohlakai. When i whas on the reserve i saw her drinking some stuff called 'morning mist'. I tried once drinking it too, bwwwwwééééék it whas pure sucar. These people lived on roots, corn and berries, this whas a buffelo nation, and know it is all whitemen's food! It is a sugargenocide, I tell you!

Maybe you are thinking, what does this all has to do with the plastic shaman thing? Well, i tell you.
One day i went to a guy in the north of Belgium, calling himself the Shaman you know? And i asked him, if he had any idea of what whas going on. That the romantic side of what he whas doing didn't really fitted with the things i saw on the reserve and outside of it. And than i said, you know what? All the money that you are gaining, why don't you put it on account and donate it, for a new shool, or for some healthcare, or for whatever, because it is their ceremonies you are stealing. I tell you,  whas lucky to get in the car from a friend on time, because mister new-age-shaman, whas ready to put his hands, where they didn't belong.
I'm sorry if im enterfearing with something that isn't mine, and i know i'm not native and more i don't want to be native, because i'm proud of wo i am, and of my inheritance. But someone needs to open the eyes of some people here in Europe. Because, when i told them of what whas going on, on the reserve, people still locked up or something they didn't do, the high unemployement, and so on. I still think a lot of people have an image, that teh native people live in tipi's and smoke the Holey pipe. Because no news is coming through, only american stuff...

So this is my entrance, sorry for my horrible english writing, but hey i could write some Celtic or belgium too ;-)

Greetings,
Suza

What i would like to add, this is not a hate thing hey? I only have to much of a respect for all religions..

That's all folks..

Greetings,
Suza

Welcome Suzarine;

I am happy that you have chosen to share a little about yourself!

Having been to England, Germany and Switzerland, I have experienced some of the attitudes of European people, regarding Native people.  It is good that you understand some of our realities!

It is also very good that you are grounded in your own Heritage and Cultural ways.  I believe that we all can find, in our own Cultures, a time when we lived more in harmony with the lands of our ancestry and be Proud of these.  I also believe that we can learn and share with each other, our common ground.  This does not mean trying to copy each other, or to try to incorporate Cultural ways of others into our own lives.  Respect allows us to share with each other.

Thank you for sharing!
Ric

Howdy Suzarine, I'm studying in Belgium and I'd say you guys got a nice culture of your own that most of you seem pretty proud of (carnival in particular, at least around where I live.) Nothing wrong with that. I think a lot of the misconceptions of us come from, at least from what I've seen, Karl May and really really really crappy comic books.

Dear Tisha and Ric,

Thank you for the fine answers. It is a pleasure sharing a bit of my culture Ric, and there is so mutch more to tell, for instance did you know that Julius Ceasar, the roman imperor said that the Belgians where the bravest warriors he had ever seen? Of course he did meet the Vikings or did not come across the ocean to meet some of the natie tribes, so lets say we where the bravest in Europe and that could count because Europe isn't that small hey :-)
Yes Trisha, you are right we have a nice culture and for some regions carnival is indeed verry big. I life closer to the coast and there it isn't that big, but we celebrate it different, because it came from our honoring the death.

Sometimes i go and read the Lakota news, because i have to admit that these people are very up to date with worldnews. I remember i whas on the Sundanceground and some visiter had an example from the Lakota news with him, in which whas writen that the Belgian Gouvernement boycotted the pasthrough of weapons for Iran. And 2 weeks later i whas taking a plain in Denver and i got from news whas, sons of sadam are killed.

Karl May, my dearest god i'm ashamed at these times of communicaion we are still stocked with karl may, and you know, i have to believe it. Because when i came back from my 4 weeks visit in Arizona, the first thing people asked me whas, did you take pictures? how whas it sitting between indianpeople, did you sleep in tipi? So what i did when i came back, whas confront them with the thruth. I organized a kind of gattering and tld them about the people i have been with 'The Dineh' i got a tape called 'the last prayer' in which whas definitly only a small sight of how these people lived. I told them about Black mesa, the coal mines and how people still worked in it, like our grand grand parents did a hundred years ago. They where all shoked, no more questions about romantic images, but at least repect for what is happening with a nation. I don't know if they still think about it a lot. because people are strange human beings when it comes to the fact of showing compassion for longer than 2 weeks. When i meet up with them, they always ask me, when are you going back? But then i ask them, why should go back? The only thing i can do, is bring people over here to a point (at least with an affermitive yes from the native people themselves) that they should stop using the native ceremonies or copying them ad using them for big money.
But, like i said, hey who am i?
I have worked with homeless people, even in New orleans we had project, and yes i slept with them on cardboards, but in my backhead i knew i whas going back to a far more luxury position as they would stay in. But you know, i think about every one i have met a lot, i may never those people again, but they mean more to me then some of my friends. Because of the fact they had nothing to loose, there friendship came out of a place we hardly seem to find anymore, because society only looks at the best, the strong, the winners, the beauties, the ...., the..., shall i go on? And no, don't get me wrong, it is not out of compasion i write this, but out of a respect for the humans him/herself and for our heritances and cultures that wil be lost if we don't protect them. Because if  look at Europe for example, it started with one united europe, no more borders, one way of paying the Euro. I don't know why, but why do we have to be one europe? The difference of culture, is what made me go to itlay, to spain, to turkye. You see we all loose our backgrounds, and for us it started allready long ago. Maybe that is why i'm saying, pleace stay of the ceremonies of others...yeah yeah, i know, i'm writing a book again :-). But if i wouldn't we stopped i would keep on writing ;-)

Greetings,
Suza