OFFLINE

They are everywhere, people making fraudulent claims about Native American traditions and titles, or otherwise misrepresenting native culture. Some of these people don't know any better, being victims themselves of those who prey on the romanticism towards native cultures to make a quick buck, for fame or even..yes, to woo women. Some even go so far as to expose people to practices they themselves know very little or nothing of, which if performed improperly can be life threatening. Yes, people have died because charlatans have charged exorbitant amounts for the sweat lodge experience, not knowing how to safety set up and practice an Asi (that is the Cherokee word for it). How can you protect yourself? Well here are some red flags to be aware of.

I. They use the word Shaman. We don't use the word shaman because a) it just isn't us and it is hard enough to represent and keep our traditions alive and b) it is disrespect to the medicine people of Siberian/Tungus peoples. We wouldn't disrespect them any more than our own medicine people. Different tribes have different names, often several, for their medicine practitioners. if you are unsure of the appropriate word, medicine person/man/woman is a pretty universal among the tribes and considered appropriate. Some tribe-specific words, such as Didahnvwisgi and Didahnesesgi (Cherokee) are words that others call you as they are a way of describing what a person does and their relation to the community and thus linguistically it isn't something one would call themselves. one might when talking to non-native speakers, refer to themselves as such however if you notice they are a bit reserved about this and instead say something like Nvwoti Ynwi (medicine person), that is a good sign that they are aware of the linguistic subtleties and know what they are talking about.

II They don't know the language. If they do not know any bit of language of the tribe they are talking about or claiming to be of, this is a very bad sign indeed. Medicine is to be done in the native tongue, as the language itself is medicine and a vehicle for the medicine formula.

III. They aren't specific on tribe They make broad sweeping statements and generalities and when asked about which tribe their teachings are from, their eyes glaze over or they conveniently do not comment or otherwise have an answer for you. Beware things you see in new-age books such as "The Native American Zodiac" which specify no tribe nor give any sources. That's a good way to help discern if the material is completely made up with no basis or inspiration in truth. Also, most tribes did not use a tropical system for any kind of natal zodiac. We looked at transits to and from certain dates on various calendars. Though the western signs have found themselves within our traditions of planting by such marks as the moon.

IV. They are unfamiliar with the clan system of the tribe they are supposedly a member of. Try to become familiar with the clans of the more commonly appropriated tribes, enough to know whether the claimed can is or ever was considered to be a clan within that tribe. If they are unaware of the clan-system of the tribe they claim to be a member of or have tried to push a clan that is not a clan within that tribe, that's also a red flag.

V. They talk about how much [insert tribe] they are -and they may be but clearly they haven't grown up in a traditional community or think traditionally. This is colonial wording, it isn't how natives see tribal or clan identity traditionally. It is true that for political reasons, tribal recognition by the government, and to prevent abuses many bands (tribal nations) employ blood quantum. However many tribes inter-married and it was your mothers clan that determined your tribal identity. While you honor your ancestors on both tribes your mothers clan determined the tribal community you served, and it was her brother if you were male, or her sister if you were female who taught you how to be a man or woman in your clan. If he did not have a brother or sister, an appropriate peer of her clan would teach you. our tribal identities were defined by culture, not blood quantum and natives aren't apt to ask others or boast of their blood quantum.

VI How they talk about the red road They will talk of the Red road as if it is the road of being native, and associate the white road with white people when the truth is that these are ceremonial colors that pre-date contact with Europeans. There are plenty of natives who follow the white road which is the road of peace, innocence and sanctuary while the red road is the path of conflict, struggle and victory.

VII. They say they can wear a War Bonnet because they are native This is ludicrous for two reasons: a) Not all tribes observed the tradition of the War Bonnet b) The War-Bonnet is earned, it isn't enough that you are native it is to be presented to you for service to your tribe/community. It is not any different than a Purple heart in this regard.

VIII. They get the gender of the sun and the moon wrong. In most modern Paganism the sun is often described as masculine and the moon feminine. This is reversed in many native tribes especially those of the woodlands. While this is dependent on tribe and even within tribe dependent on the medicine formula being used by the medicine person, tribes usually go one way or another in general theme. If you know how the sun and moon are expressed within a given tribe you can be on the lookout for when things aren't adding up.

IX. They Romanticize the peaceful native War can be just as much medicine as non-aggression. It is a different form of medicine. Both are needed and both have their place in medicine formulas. War was even a trial to maintain peace such as in 'Little Brother of War', the ball game played even to the death do to exhaustion or injury, to settle conflict among the tribes at large.

X. They tell stories telling you how you should be or moralize. Our stories don't tend to do that. You aren't handed the moral of the story or told what to think about or what the properer interpretation is. you are told the story and left to yourself to think about those words, as you gaze into the fire for guidance. You aren't told what your truth is but expected to be honorable and accountable to that truth. Most tribes have a very strong sense of "staying out of anther's business and our words for truth are often very person in their revelation of expression. Even in times of conflict you wouldn't keep one from the mounds of their ancestors who guide them on their path. There's a strong sense of knowing your place and leaving others to theirs just as much as there is an essence of coming together in community around the fire.one of the biggest offenders of stories claiming to be native is a story about two wolves which is often cited as Cherokee despite it being an adaption of a story about two dogs from a Billy Graham novel.

XI. They misuse the word Totem Totem/Dodem in an Ojibwa word and it is not your personal medicine animal, it is the animal of your clan/family/ground or kinship.

XII. Concerning being a pipe carrier not all tribes had or continue to have a designated pipe carrier. For example, among the Cherokee, practitioners have their own individual pipe. We do have stories about "the" pipe showing that at one point we did have a special pipe used for certain ceremonies, which was given by the Ukatena to a certain person to carry for their people, however this tradition has long since become archaic and there are no official pipe carriers on behalf of the tribe. We also had a bowl with seven pipe stems that was used at council meetings.

XIII. They use words like "Download" Pay close attention to the words they use. Words like "download" come from the new-age community and are not used by traditional practitioners of indigenous spirituality. Could it be possible they have experience working with both new age and traditional native paradigms? Unlikely, possible but unlikely. To be frankly honest we tend to avoid such groups and wouldn't be caught dead associated with one because of the misrepresentation. We don't get along. On the chance that one is associated, they are going to keep those worlds separate for what they are. They aren't going to bring their "new age" into their ancestral teachings let alone pass any of the latter off for the former. It's going to be an interest/hobby that is kept within it's own respectful bounds.

XIV. They say things like "Cornmeal resonates at the same frequency as our DNA" <-- what even is that?Not only is that a misrepresentation of traditional tribal beliefs, it is a misrepresentation of science. Native American spiritual practices, while they may often seem backwards to people today, have never needed justification from science to be what it is or sought to be a competing philosophy therewith. it is understood that we work with the subjective as well as the objective, and go beyond scientific explanation. Which brings me to XIII.

XV. They try to get you to buy [into] their stuff instead of modern medicine. While I'd put more faith in a traditional native practitioner who has the homeostasis of my being in mind than a modern doctor who is just treating me clinically with whatever drug is on the market, there is absolutely no reason that one can not seek both. in fact it is a common teaching among the medicine people of most tribes that if you are not working medicine at all levels you are wasting your medicine... because you aren't making a place for it to take affect, and all parts of you must be in harmony for those parts to work together in healing. Native medicine is rooted in the body and mind healing itself. It is intended to be as less invasive as possible. Modern medicine on the other hand is very invasive, but there are times you need surgery and you need it now.