John Somosi

[educatedindian]

Got a request about him. The claim from Somosi is he's "Metis, First Nations Canadian with Hungarian ancestry and teaches the Ojibway traditions of Sweat lodges, Fasting, Drum making, Sun Dance, and Sacred Traditional Pipe Ceremony… a pipe carrier brings experiences gained from many years of sharing with and learning from elders from all over Turtle Island (North America), as well as time spent with the Aborigines in Australia."

Online the only things I found on Somosi are that he's a musician who sometimes teaches drum making. Says he's Cree and I don't see any mention of Ojibwe or Metis. One thing of concern is him having a sweatlodge in Hungary.

[Sandy S]

I'm not quite able to catch what he says in this intro, something like: "My name is Eagle and White Tail Deer is my clan helper".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0LBlfsuFJc

John is a Metis (Cree and French) from Saskatchewan who lives in Ontario. He has travelled extensively in North America and Australia speaking with and learning from Elders.

https://www.centreforpeace.ca/our-people

2009:

John, a Metis from Saskatchewan, brings experiences gained
from many years of sharing with and learning from elders from
all over Turtle Island (North America), as well as time spent
with the Aborigines in Australia, to his workshops.

https://web.archive.org/web/20090827231038/http://www.skybuffalo.net/about.html

2013:

"Aboriginal Artists in Schools" grant: https://www.arts.on.ca/oac/media/oac/Publications/Annual%20Reports%20ENG-FR/2013-2014-OAC-GrantListings-Final-EN-FINAL-s.pdf?ext=.pdf
2017:

Sky Buffalo Drum Workshop with MNO citizen John Somosi

https://www.metisnation.org/news/turtle-island-heritage-festival/

(discussion on the Metis Nation of Ontario https://www.tvo.org/article/what-is-the-metis-nation-of-ontario-and-why-is-it-so-controversial )

2018:

Are you called to birth your own sacred drum?
We are honoured to have John Somosi, Sky Buffalo from the Ojibwe tribe on 6th & 7th of July in Cork on his tour of Ireland! 💚
John is Metis, First Nations Canadian and teaches the Ojibway traditions of Sweat lodges, Fasting, Drum making, Sun Dance, and Sacred Traditional Pipe Ceremony.
John Sommosi a pipe carrier brings experiences gained from many years of sharing with and learning from elders from all over Turtle Island (North America), as well as time spent with the Aborigines in Australia, to his workshops.

"I am a person that is following an Ojibwa based traditional path for the last 29 years. I found that the simple basic teachings are of great benefit to those seeking earth based teachings. Using the traditions I follow allow others to be in touch with their ancestors so they can learn or relearn their own from their culture. Using humour is key to what I do. I am a Windigocon(Sacred Clown) and laughter is a powerful medicine.

https://www.facebook.com/events/quaker-meeting-house-summerhill-s-ballintemple-cork-t12-xw8r/sacred-drum-making-workshop-with-first-nations-john-somosi/2114880485436242/

2019:

Ancient cultures have a long tradition of healing and purifying ceremonies. Some members travel abroad sometimes, to help others reconnect to their own traditional way of living.

JOHN SOMOSI, a First Nations Canadian Metis, is one of them. He's been to Slovenia for the second time recently, to run a traditional Native American sweat lodge, among other teachings.

https://radiosi.rtvslo.si/podcast/spotlight/173250932/174635905

2023:

Traditional pipe ceremony at our Full Transformational Retreat in Hungary with John Somosi native american indian brother.
Aho!

https://www.facebook.com/Urukla/videos/traditional-pipe-ceremony-at-our-full-transformational-retreat-in-hungary-with-j/3644033372589769/

[Sparks]

I'm in a Facebook group called Metis Families, started by the late Gail Morin. Gail was a genealogist (and married to my late husband's cousin) who wrote many many books on Metis people.  The consensus of the group is that the Metis Nation of Ontario is that they are pretendians. Their genealogies don't show any relationship to Metis people.  Metis people in Canada are a pretty specific bunch.

My bolding. The Metis Nation of Ontario has been mentioned in three earlier comments (both pro and con) in the NAFPS forum.

They maintain a comprehensive web site: https://www.metisnation.org/

They are also on: • Twitter  • Facebook  • Instagram  • LinkedIn  • YouTube. See links at bottom of their website.

Maybe this large group should be invetigated in a separate topic?

[Sandy S]

Sometimes his surname is spelled "Samosi".

Personally, I think he is a nut, an unsafe one. I don't think anyone should be doing ceremony with him.

In this 2021 video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WH1V79s6Fzo  he says he is "part Plains Cree". That he asked to get a traditional name and was told to go home for that, he drove 20-28 hours home and found someone that gave out names.

He says that burning hot rocks tend to jump up onto his lap during sweat lodge ceremonies.

From the video transcript at 38:21 - "well uh being metis which is a mixed blood or a mutt uh...".

He describes having panic attacks, "spiritual burn out", and that his "warrior society family" and "Sundance family" have to regularly help put him "back together".

[Sandy S]

His partner or wife is Kathryn Edgecomb.

In his mother's obit he is Johnnie Albert Christopher Somosi. Father's name Steve Somosi. Mother's surname Dejariais.

Pearl Lizotte Somosi https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/219353823/pearl-somosi

[Sandy S]

Correction on his mother's birth name, it is Lizotte.

John Somosi's maternal grandparents:

Joseph Xavier Lizotte https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/65018689/joseph_xavier-lizotte
Laura Clara (Desjarlais) Lizotte https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/65018687/laura_clara-lizotte

[Sandy S]

According to a family tree on familysearch.org his father was born in Hungary.

Istavan (Steve) Somosi

Birth: 22 March 1935
Bolyok, Borsod, Hungary
Death: 25 September 2016
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

[Sandy S]

Regarding his maternal side:

Pearl (Lizotte) Somosi is his mother. Back about 5 generations on an unsourced family tree on familysearch.org there are claims to Red River connections and prior to that France.

I don't know if John Somosi can legitimately claim a Métis identity and citizenship.

John Somosi refers to himself as a "mutt".