Nolumbeka Project, Western MA.

[pemibear]

https://www.facebook.com/nolumbekaproject?fref=ts

This organization has a lot of good work to protect and restore sacred sites.  However, I grew concerned as I realized that there were a lot of frauds in and around the organization.  When confronted, they become quite defensive.

President, Joe Graveline, claims to be Cherokee and Abenaki and was leading and charging for sweats and other ceremonies on his land for years, though I believe that as more authentic Native people have become involved in festivities, he may be more on the down-low regarding leading his own sweats.   http://nolumbekaproject.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_2151.html

They continue to bring Loril Moondream to festivals to promote the project, despite my notifying them that she is a fraud. I met her years ago and she told me she was "adopted by the Cherokee people"!  This is from their FB photos:  Loril Moondream at the tipi with traditional children's games in the foreground, Pocumtuck Homelands Festival 2014. Pocumtuck Homelands Festival 2015, a celebration of Native American art, music, and culture, will take place on Saturday, August 1, 11 a.m. - 7 p.m., at Unity Park Waterfront, 1st Street, Turners Falls, MA, The event will feature activities that appeal to all ages, including children. There will be music and vendors, a wigwam and tipi to visit, an authentic birch bark canoe to examine, storytelling, traditional games, and primitive skills demonstrations! The festival is free and handicapped accessible.

Apache storyteller Loril Moondream (pictured above) of Medicine Mammals will present two sessions of spellbinding tales from 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. and from 4:00 – 4:45 p.m. Medicine Mammals are also bringing traditional Native American children's games that will be available throughout the day. There will be one session of children's crafts ($2 fee) from 12:30 to 1:15 p.m. All of these activities will take place at the tipi. https://www.facebook.com/nolumbekaproject/photos/pb.503964243028350.-2207520000.1439180999./839949089429862/?type=1&theater

I also have concerns about this woman Strong Oak who sells her drums at their festivals.  She is a social worker and works with a local battered women's organization, leading "spirit circles" for victims of domestic violence.  Her work makes it hard to question her...but I don't believe for one second that she is Native.  She shows up to public events in full regalia, always.  She lives in Wendell MA. "My name is Strong Oak. I am Maliseet and Micmac. I am so happy to be a drum builder."

Barry Higgins, "Native American Flute" ...though on his website he has changed the wording to "Native Style Flutes" http://www.whitecrowflutes.com/Bio.htm  He also states: "Today I make a flute based on the good things each teacher and each flute has taught me, refining others, aided by good research/development techniques, and by honoring my mixed Anglo/Native (Pennacook-Abenaki) heritage. The flute journey has taught me much and I hope you will allow it to teach you as well.
Thank you for considering White Crow Flutes".

I could go on and on listing the people involved.  This is enough for now.

The thing that upsets me most about this organization, aside from the false identification, is the fact that they promote "forgiveness for genocide"!  And when they are confronted by people who tell them that it's not their place to call for forgiveness OR to accept apologies, they try to guilt people by saying they are advocating for hatred. 

[pemibear]

This is information about the massacre of hundreds of women, children and elders for which the Nolumbeka Project president asserts that Native peoples should forgive.  While I'm grateful that the group worked hard to protect this site, IMHO, the settler members have no business standing before the public and calling on all Native people for forgiveness and reconciliation.  One doesn't have to pretend to be Native to be an ally...and again, IMHO allies have no business promoting forgiveness. http://www.bio.umass.edu/biology/conn.river/massacre.html

[Diana]

 I noticed the author of this piece refered to the Indians as Amerindian, "the colonials were in position on a slope overlooking the Amerindian encampment". I find that term very troubling as it is usually used by white supremacist and sometimes by academics who have an unhealthy attitude towards Native Americans. Everyone knows this is not an acceptable word when referring to Native Americans. Hmm....maybe there's more to this group than meets the eye.

This is information about the massacre of hundreds of women, children and elders for which the Nolumbeka Project president asserts that Native peoples should forgive.  While I'm grateful that the group worked hard to protect this site, IMHO, the settler members have no business standing before the public and calling on all Native people for forgiveness and reconciliation.  One doesn't have to pretend to be Native to be an ally...and again, IMHO allies have no business promoting forgiveness. http://www.bio.umass.edu/biology/conn.river/massacre.html

[pemibear]

I just want to clarify, that I did not author that piece. I would NEVER use that term.  It was the only comprehensive article that I could find about the massacre at Great Falls and that language IS reprehensible, I completely agree...it actually nauseated me to see it used.  I am sorry for any pain it might cause for folks who read my post. I just thought it important to share the history of the site with regard to the work of Nolumbeka.  IF folks want to take the reference down, I completely understand.  Though I think it exposes and brings light to the ongoing racism even in the academic community that aims to support First Nations.  With gratitude for speaking to this issue, I am deeply humbled~

[pemibear]

Did some more research and found this article on the massacre.  Perhaps the administrators could delete the previous link.
http://forallmyrelations.blogspot.com/2015/06/battle-of-great-falls-or-massacre-at.html

[Epiphany]

John Santos
August 2 at 11:14am
Are you guys actually Indian? Or just white hippie wannabies? What's the deal?

Nolumbeka Project
We are a Native American advocacy group. Some of our members have Native roots. And, some of us are former hippies, too.

https://www.facebook.com/nolumbekaproject?fref=photo

I agree, pemibear," the settler members have no business standing before the public and calling on all Native people for forgiveness and reconciliation".

[pemibear]

I have sent this email to the author of the article I shared, in the hope that she will both learn something and act to correct her words.  I also hope that my response to her is acceptable to folks in our First Nations community.  I ALWAYS welcome feedback: 

I am writing to you to humbly request you consider feedback to an article you wrote on the UMass, CT River Homepage.  In your article on the massacre at Great Falls, you use the term Amerindian.  I reluctantly (because of the language used) shared this article in a community run by and for our First Nations people, to address the ongoing genocide as it is perpetrated through cultural appropriation, in a variety of ways.  Having found it difficult to find information on the Great Falls site, I shared it to inform folks of the tragic event that took place there.  I was immediately and justifiably, called out on the share, for the language used in your article.   The term "Amerindian" is, at worst, extremely racist and at best, culturally insensitive.  I am writing to ask you to please change the language to reflect the respect and reverence owed to our First Nations people. 
I thank you for your consideration, and hope that you will edit your article~

[Diana]

Hi Pemibear and welcome, I know you didn't write the article. This is not the first time academics have used that term. I suspect they use it as to try to dehumanize Native Americans, especially when white people are commiting such cowardly and heinous acts such as the Turner Falls massacre.

When you refer to the victims in a clinical way it takes the revulsion and sickening sting out of it. In other words they are trying to white wash the heinous event. Much like the Turner Falls Pocumtuck festival. Who would have a festival at the site of a murder/massacre? White people playing Indian that's who. Disgusting!


Lim lemtsh,

Diana

I just want to clarify, that I did not author that piece. I would NEVER use that term.  It was the only comprehensive article that I could find about the massacre at Great Falls and that language IS reprehensible, I completely agree...it actually nauseated me to see it used.  I am sorry for any pain it might cause for folks who read my post. I just thought it important to share the history of the site with regard to the work of Nolumbeka.  IF folks want to take the reference down, I completely understand.  Though I think it exposes and brings light to the ongoing racism even in the academic community that aims to support First Nations.  With gratitude for speaking to this issue, I am deeply humbled~

[Defend the Sacred]

Moving to Research Needed. Several of these folks are mentioned in other threads.

ETA: Other threads that I'm now having trouble finding. ...  :o

ETAA: Correction, I don't think we have threads on these people here yet, so just put it all in this thread. This group and the pretendians in it have been discussed in other places, extensively, so it's about time we have info about them here, too.

[Smart Mule]

This guy https://www.facebook.com/nolumbekaproject/photos/a.510569869034454.1073741830.503964243028350/842313775860060/?type=1&theater had a program that was based on the writings of KKK member Forest Carter https://web.archive.org/web/20140208132911/http://www.wolftreema.com/ (scroll down to adult programs).

Nolumbeka also works closely with a woman who managed to wipe out most of the white birch in the area.

And then there's this http://www.recorder.com/home/16941966-95/together-in-remembrance

[pemibear]

FYI- I just received this email from the host of the UMass Connecticut River Homepage regarding their use of the racist term "Amerindian". 

In response to your concern, the CT Homepage has been disabled--it is no
longer viewable.
Ed K

It would have been better if they had just edited it, so people would still have access to the historical information about the massacre, but taking it down is better than nothing.  Perhaps they will edit it and put it back up.

[Smart Mule]

There is an incredible amount of history available regarding the massacre. It certainly wasn't the best source out there. An acknowledgement as to the inappropriate term would have been nice but at least it's gone.

[Smart Mule]

Regarding their performer Loril 'Moondream' - http://www.masslive.com/living/index.ssf/2013/12/medicine_mammals_organization_in_wendell_raises_releases_orphaned_injured_animals.html

"When Loril MoonDream was growing up on a reservation in Fort Apache, Ariz., she often rode in the car with her grandparents, and when she saw dead or injured animals on the side of the road, she would cry for them; her grandparents would stop to say prayers or help."

""It's called 'walking in beauty,'" said MoonDream, an artist, musician and storyteller, of the Native American philosophy that all life is sacred." (my bold)

"Nursed back to health and vaccinated, the animals are "put back as healthy animals and won't spread disease," said the White Mountain Apache from Arizona and New Mexico."

ETA:
She channels reiki symbols
https://books.google.com/books?id=h3PHMbifcnMC&pg=PT368&lpg=PT368&dq=%22Loril+Moondream%22&source=bl&ots=ItTjsi0ksM&sig=TYNbPtlyIB5jZo5iXwVsfJvBPVc&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CDcQ6AEwAjgKahUKEwio7u7m2aHHAhXCcz4KHRlmAvY#v=onepage&q=%22Loril%20Moondream%22&f=false

some of which cure cancer -
"Hello,  there is a Shamballa anti-cancer symbol by Loril Moondream. The symbol is drawn into the body, or, above the body & pushed into it. It is supposed to heal those kind of growths, & helps growth of normal cells. "

http://www.sharereiki.org/sriforum/index.php?topic=3152.5;wap2

[pemibear]

Yeah, she is such a blatant liar.  She told me fifteen years ago, when I met her begging for money at the local post office, in full traditional dress, that she was not Native, (I think because she sensed that I could see through her-died black hair does not convince me of anything) but was "ADOPTED by the CHEROKEE people"....as an adult!!!    She just arrived in the area out of nowhere, in her beat up van, full of trash.  She was looking for money and a place to park her van.  Nobody ever really knew from where she came.  If her story was true, what was she doing in western MA looking for a place to "park her van"?  I knew right away, that she was a fraud and while she continued to try to engage with me, I stayed as far away from her as possible...and continued to warn people about her.  I warned the folks at Nolumbeka, but they don't care.  They will invite anyone who says they are Native to sell and to lead activities and ceremonies at their events.  They wanted me to (wo)man a table for them at a UMass Pow Wow, because "I look Native"!!! I've never been so horrified and insulted in my life.  Insulted that they would think I would lie about my heritage and dishonor both my ancestors AND First Nations in that way! 

I am so sick to learn that she has lied and manipulated herself into the fabric of the western MA community, as an impostor.  I honestly thought that nobody would believe her lies.  When I look back at where she was then, and where she is now, in terms of being revered as something she is not, it blows my mind...and makes me sick.  I really thought that she would be outed many years ago.  I think that being embraced by Nolumbeka Project and the exposure she has gained from being at their events, has catapulted her "career" as a grifter, a con artist of the worst kind. 

[pemibear]

I just want to clarify what I stated in my previous post.  It was Friends of Wissetinewag that asked me to (wo)man a table for them at Pow Wow.  Friends Of Wissetinewag was taken over by the Nolumbeka project a few years ago.  Nolumbeka project is run by those original folks who started FOW back when they were working to protect the site.