World Indigenous Science Network

[Pono Aloha]

Any thoughts on these folks? http://www.wisn.org/about/board-staff/

[nemesis]

Well their page on "endangered sacred species" is non-scientific and bonkers for a start.

http://www.wisn.org/our-work/endangered-sacred-species/

This in particular caught my eye

WHITE LIONS
WISN partners with the Global White Lion Trust, Hoedspruit, South Africa. Integrates science, culture, education and enterprise development for program fund development and to network the Trust worldwide with indigenous Elders who are guardians of the sacred species

Why do so many newage frauds (as I suspect this is what this lot are) get involved in fake conservation of endangered species?

They describe white lions as an endangered species, but white lions are not a "species" and are not endangered, they are simply a genetic mutation of ordinary lions.

As with white tigers, white lions are often presented by fraudulent business entrepreneurs as "endangered" in order to generate revenue for "conservation" projects that are simply privately owned zoos or even circuses.  The truth is that the general public are badly informed about the issue and tend to buy into the lies.  People like white lions and tigers and they demand to see them so the entrepreneurs are happy to oblige by breeding these animals in captivity.  

What the public either don't know or don't want to know is that many captive bred white lions and tigers are born with serious deformities due to inbreeding and are destroyed.


The newage mind, as we might expect, is inspired and engaged by the fantasy of special white lions and all kinds of newage groups promote them as being magical beasts with spirchul powers. An example here

Listen to the Wisdom of the White Lions
with Wynter Worsthorne and Anna Breytenbach.

A Sacred White Lion Journey in Greater Timbavati

Let us take you on a journey to the homeland of the White Lions. Linda Tucker, author of "The Mystery of the White Lions, Children of the Sun God" and founder of the Global White Lion Trust, has dedicated the last 7 years to returning the White Lions to their rightful place on earth.

http://animaltalk.org.uk/whitelions.html

The woman advertising the above workshops is also promoting Linda Tucker, the founder of the Global White Lion Trust.  

Tucker's website is here

http://www.whitelions.org/

Everything about the site is dodgy IMO.  I have no idea whether the charity is a scam or simply the work of a well meaning but deluded newager.  

This interview with Tucker on a Hay House website "Can White Lions See the Future? Believe in the light of Earth's creatures." suggests the latter, but who knows?

http://www.healyourlife.com/author-linda-tucker/2010/06/lifeshelp/intuitive-guidance/can-white-lions-see-the-future


Tuckers's book about the lions "Mystery of the White Lions: Children of the Sun God " is published by Hay House

In London the launch of the book was held at Alchemy the Centre, a really dodgy newage centre run mostly by 3HOers but known to astute readers here as one of Biven Mamonta's favourite places to run workshops.

http://bodyofconsciousness.wordpress.com/2010/05/19/linda-tucker-at-alchemy-28th-of-may/

Oh and this, this is priceless:

The School of Sacred Warriorship

Joining Linda Tucker and Andrew Harvey in Timbavati South Africa for Sacred Warriorship School. Andrew and Linda will fuse their visions of Sacred Activism and Lion Shamanism to offer an 8-day initiatory retreat focused on Sacred Warriorship in the modern-day world.

http://www.andrewharvey.net/warriorshipSchool.php

So basically the White Lion part of their "sacred endangered species" page is complete newage nonsense.  


aaahhh
just found this interesting piece by Credo Mutwa

As I begin to share about the Message of the White Lions, I first want to say that all credit for this information starts with Linda Tucker who wrote the book " Mystery of the White Lions, Children of the Sun God".  Here historical, astronomical and shamanic information is a wake up call to all of us in our lives and all my writing started with this book.  The journey since has led me further into areas of wisdom that I will be sharing with you over the next few weeks, so please sign up to be sent new and updated posts.

Why the White lion?  Why is it's apprearance on our planet now auspicious and in need of attention?  I am going to attempt to give you answers to these questions in the next several posts up until March 11th at which time I am leaving for South Africa to join the Sacred Warriorship School, an endeavor making its maiden voyage between Linda Tucker, www.whitelions.org and Andrew Harvey, www.sacredactivism.net. ( Under Blogroll to your right of the screen if you click either on Linda Tucker Information or Andrew Harvey you will be taken to their websites.)

THEIR MESSAGE TO US:
White Lions have come at times of great upheaval and change on our planet and then gone extinct.  The gene lives on in other great lions, only to surface when humankind seems to be facing some natural peril which inaugurates a shift in human consciousness.  The last time was during our last Ice age which we are now overdue to have again.  The Earth has regularly gone through extinction scenarios that bring us into greater awareness and spiritual enlightenment.

The White Lion is built and colored for great snow and ice and hearty survival.  So, why are they reappearing once again in arid Africa?  African prophesies, much like the Hopi prophecies regarding the birth of a White Buffalo heralding the ending of a great cycle of life and the beginning of a new one, lead us back to the roots of these Great Cats in all ancient civilizations as the heart of humanity and the soul of Nature herself, reminding us that we are unified with all species and connected to the stars. We of the 21st century have all but forgotten this inherent fabric of unity and have lost our own hearts along the way.

Linda Tucker has done pain staking research and work with renowned archeologists, Egyptian historians, African Shamans, keepers of African lore and astro-arche0logists.

The unprecedented connection between the White Lion and priests, kings, prophets and seers throughout history has its deep connection to the stars, the constellation of Leo and the beings that helped in the construction of the pyramids, the Sphinx and all the astronomical sites like Stonehenge.  The White Lion bridges humans to not only their own true spiritual nature of love but to the stars themselves.  As with the Lion of Judah, the Lions of God bring a message of Christ Consciousness, one of unity and of ancient truth that can help humanity transform through the coming changes.  If we listen.

Linda had a vision of a lion named Ingwavuma, since slaughtered by Canned Hunters. In the vision the Lion said,

"It is foolish to demand that God prove himself according to the scientific confines which modern man has created for himself.  It is foolish to demand the same of the Lions of God.  Don't demand.  Listen.  It is then that you might hear the most ancient wisdom which could save your life.  And Save the World."

As long as we can kill a magnificent animal for fun, for the thrill of the kill, we remain a soulless society.  As long as each of us stand still doing nothing, we are no less the perpetrator we revile.  It is time to stop the killing of everything sacred and take a stand for ....Love.   It is time to listen to the heart.

Information from Credo Mutwa on White Lions and African Lore.
Feb. 5, 2011

source:
http://whitelionwisdom.com/the-message-of-the-white-lions/

I notice that Mr Mutwa (now calling himself "baba") is one of the WISN "elder advisers"

So, er, anyway, my vote is for "dodgy"

;)


edited to add

I just checked out the other "sacred endangered wildlife" partner, the Snow Leopard Conservancy and it looks legit to me. 
I do feel rather concerned that the WISN has managed to secure the partnership of a legit conservation project. 

Depending on how this thread goes, maybe someone could contact them and find out a little more about this partnership?

[educatedindian]

The founder and director, Apela Colorado, has come up before.
http://www.newagefraud.org/smf/index.php?topic=2029.0

Much like her previous projects, the idea behind this group seems well intentioned and very poorly carried out. Colorado's own credentials are questionable. She has a degree from Twinkie U and Exploiter Central, Naropa, a scandal plagued university with questionable courses. I certainly would like to see western science learn from Native traditions but Colorado is the exactly wrong kind of person to do this. And if you look over the site, it's not clear just what she's done. A lot of vague claims of contact with elders, setting up knowledge databases, presenting to scientists, etc.

There are plenty of researchers out there doing what she claims to be doing. Plenty of people in healthcare, nursing, hostelcare, eldercare, botany, anthropology, even geologists and atronomers and elsewhere, who have done what Colorado is claiming she is doing in a unique way. In some cases these fields have seen this kind of cooperation for decades. Heck, some of them go back as far as the 19th century.

As for the other people involved, the rest of the staff seem to be simple workers so no need to take a look at them. Why go after an accountant, or several probably naive volunteers who didn't know any better?

Their board and "elders" though. Credo Mutwa is a fraud, plain and simple, discussed on half a dozen threads. I'm surprised we don't have one thread on him, we need to. He sells a Disney version of African traditions, and one in trouble back in South Africa for phony AIDS treatments. Mutwa also worked extensively with another fraud Roy Steevensz AKA Littlesun. Mutwa also was a collaborator with South Africa's apartheid regime, a truly despicable man.

What was Colorado thinking? How could someone so easily fooled be trusted to judge either western science or Native traditions?

Dorothy Ninham has a long history with the Leonard Peltier committee. I don't what she was thinking getting involved with this group.

Lei'ohu Ryder is mostly known as a Hawaiian musician. She's a ceremony seller, $1500 a pop.
http://www.leiohuryder.com/services-ha_ala_loa.html

Maydeen Iao is another musician who works with Ryder. Both of them work with the Diane Fisher's cult, AKA "Dyani Yawahoo."
http://www.sunray.org/dotnetnuke/EldersGathering/PeaceVillageElders/tabid/156/Default.aspx

Virginia Rathele is Mutwa's wife. Together they founded a "hospital" for their phony AIDS treatment.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrpZabDX7lo

Ergeshbai Ata I couldn't find anything on him, outside of the WISN site.

There may be a few good and well intentioned people in this group, esp the low level volunteers. Ninham also. Unfortunately bringing in frauds and quacks may discredit a cause they claim to believe in.

Again, where the research? How hard would it be for them to post a paper or a link? Instead they seem to mostly travel aorund trying to make themselves known. It's not fraud of the usual kind we see, but it's certainly dubious. 

[critter - a white non-ndn person]

Disturbing. Tigers are indeed endangered. Lions are not .. yet. But their numbers are decreasing.
If you want to help find a legit organization. Research any organization you find to be sure
they are spending the money donated ON THE CAUSE.  Forget about these people, they have
ulterior motives and agendas.