Hi all!

[asabragr]

Hi!
I´m so glad to have found this website!
I´m a swede who earlier were very involved with the neopagan movement here. In the beginning, the late eighties-early nineties, that had a slant towards "shamanism". Since that were at least on the surface directed towards reconstruct our own traditions instead of stealing from others, I was initially positive. But I soon realised that even here, the likes of Michael Harner, Castaneda, Lynn Andrews etc had affected how people saw "shamanism" as a subject. The newage-guru had found a way in thru the backdoor so to speak, but well on the inside it bred the usual shallow,careless attitude as always. And sadly many fell for it, instead of actually try to get to know their own traditions.
So I left.
I found this website after I recently got curious if anything changed since the nineties, and it makes me happy that nowdays people are protesting against the abuse. And I´m just glad to learn and spread the word to as many as possible so the hoaxing one day will stop.
Äring och fred.

[earthw7]

I am sorry this happen to you,
as a native people i never knew people were taken our ways
and misusing them, changing them to a point thats we did not
even know what they were doing or could
make sense of what they were teying to do because they mixed up
so many cultures and ways that it had no meaning other than to make money.
This is so wrong in my eyes

[Defend the Sacred]

Hi!
I´m so glad to have found this website!
I´m a swede who earlier were very involved with the neopagan movement here. In the beginning, the late eighties-early nineties, that had a slant towards "shamanism". Since that were at least on the surface directed towards reconstruct our own traditions instead of stealing from others, I was initially positive. But I soon realised that even here, the likes of Michael Harner, Castaneda, Lynn Andrews etc had affected how people saw "shamanism" as a subject. The newage-guru had found a way in thru the backdoor so to speak, but well on the inside it bred the usual shallow,careless attitude as always. And sadly many fell for it, instead of actually try to get to know their own traditions.
So I left.
I found this website after I recently got curious if anything changed since the nineties, and it makes me happy that nowdays people are protesting against the abuse. And I´m just glad to learn and spread the word to as many as possible so the hoaxing one day will stop.
Äring och fred.

Welcome! I went through a similar experience, at about the same time, here in the US. I found that even some of the people claiming to do reconstruction of the old ways were lying and attempting to steal ceremonies from NDNs. Usually they were (and still are) using misleading books by anthropologists about NDN ceremonies, so not only were they stealing and twisting things, they didn't even know that what they were imitating wasn't authentic. It was just some stuff an outsider anthropologist made up.

I found that over time, distancing myself from the offensive people was the only way to make room in my life for solid people who are preserving and protecting the real ways. At first it felt like a loss to let go of that community, but it was not a good place to be, and I regret the years I spent thinking I could change them. They don't want to change. The ones who really want to change realize it on their own and then they do what we did - they leave.

[asabragr]

I agree, and I think leaving was the best thing I ever did. I kept in touch with people that shared that experience and we share a very strong friendship to this very day.
Earlier today I told one of my mates about this website, and we wondered how several groups and individuals we remembered from our past would react if we showed them this website. Sadly we suspect that few if any would understand or even care about the views and concerns of native people. And that says a lot I think.

[Freija]

Hej där!  ;)

Nice to see you in here, I´m also from Sweden and have been involved in the anti-plastic-shaman-movement for more than 10 years (thanks to NAFPS).

You´re right, the frauds themselves couldn´t care less about how Natives feel and many times they´ve tried to use and manipulate me and my Native friends. Some of them are downright arrogant, racist and totally unscrupulous. But among the followers I´ve met loads of goodhearted people who have been led astray and feel terrible when they hear the truth. So there is hope! At least we can make a dent in the cashflow of the "shamans".  ;)

Great to have you here! You don´t happen to be on the westcoast? We always need good people to join us.  8)

[asabragr]

I´m at the swedish westcoast yes.

[Freija]

I´m at the swedish westcoast yes.

Sending you a PM  ;D