The Commercialization of Native American Spirituality in the New Age Community

 So, if you missed it, I recently posted a video to my YouTube channel talking about some of the ways the descendants of white colonizers are ripping off the spiritual practices, culture, and beliefs of Native American and Indigenous peoples here in North America. After the gross treatment of these varied peoples, tribes, and cultures of the last few hundred years since Columbus and his cronies descended upon the shores of what we now know as Mexico, The United States of America, and Canada, these peoples are still suffering under the chafing policies of these governments which, at best, try to sweep them under the rug, and at worst, have a history of literally trying to wipe them off the face of the earth.

You know, just your typical run-of-the-mill cultural and racial genocide. Nothing to see here!

A phrase I often like to utter dripping with sarcasm is "colonialism; the gift that keeps on giving." and it definitely applies here. 

But not only have Indigenous people suffered at the hands of white colonizers in terms of retaining their sacred homelands, languages, and culture, they are now having to deal with a huge wave of spiritual theft by the modern new-age community. Some practices, which used to be lumped in with modern new age Wicca and paganism, like smudging, have recently gotten a lot of attention for being an offensive appropriation of a deeply sacred ceremony and ritual that some (read some - NOT all) Native tribes practice. The spreading of awareness has led to a lot of people respectfully calling their similar practice "smoke cleansing" or even "saining" after the ancient Druidic (source, Welsh Druidry) which was to burn a bundle of sacred herbs to cleanse things, spaces, or people in an energetic and spiritual fashion. A lot of pagans have gone one step further, and listened to the Indigenous peoples who have tried to bring it to our attention that is rampant consumption of sage bundles in new age shops has led to certain species of the sage plant becoming endangered, and for us to either stop purchasing these bundles altogether, or swap them out for more sustainable plants or with sustainable sources (like growing your own sage and harvesting it at the end of the year and making your own bundles, or swapping for plants that are not endangered, like cedar). And these specific examples have definitely led to some better relations between us and the Native American peoples we share this land with.

But, there still exists today a predatory breed of people we will call "plastic shamans" who very often deliberately rip off a lot of Native American spiritual practices, ceremonies, terms, and beliefs, and package them together with other generic new age practices, and sell them for profit. As if these peoples haven't suffered enough already! Many tribes, nations, and bands have fought continuously for years just to get an apology from governments, churches and organizations that actively worked to suppress and kill their ancestors, and we can see how successful these efforts have been in a lot of cases. Do you really think they have the resources to fight this attack on their culture too? 

The answer, I'm sure you're already aware, is no. 

So, what can we do in the pagan and new age community to help combat these plastic shamans and white culture thieves? Well, I'm sure you can probably already guess what the first step is, and that is do a little research. Now, before anyone groans about the effort I'm going to make them go through, I'm going to say, this isn't actually as hard as it sounds. We are blessed to live in the times of Google, and it's amazing what you can find with a few strokes of your fingertips in a search engine and about 5-10 minutes of reading. This doesn't have to take hours or all day, and you can often get the gist of a person's credentials with minimal effort. I'm also going to be that bitch, and leave you with a short list of currently still-popular authors and runners of popular courses that you may want to avoid right away. Because I believe sometimes, we need to be transparent to make a bit of headway. 

So, what exactly are you researching for? Well, the first thing would be, their name, and see what the "about me" section of their website, LinkedIn, Facebook, or Instagram page says about them. If they are hawking Native American spirituality, or shamanism from the Andean region, the first question you should seek to ask, is are they actually a representative of that community? Because most of the time, these cultures have a closed practice, that is only supposed to be learned by and practiced by members of that community. This isn't eclectic Wicca here, where you can cherry-pick what you like. Andean Shamanism is only truly practiced by Shamans trained in the Andean regions of countries like Peru. Full stop. In the same way Navajo-specific spiritual practices are unique from Cree-specific practices and beliefs, etc. If they aren't from the area, that might be your first red flag. 

Secondly, you want to ask if this person has any qualifications that make them a good person to turn to for this information. So, if the person trying to lead you through a Become a First Nations Priestess course is in their early twenties and hasn't even taken any university in relevant subjects like history, anthropology, or archaeology, then you probably want to steer clear. People who graduate high school and within a few years are claiming to be a voice of authority on subjects like these a few years later on the internet, should probably by and large, not be trusted. 

If however, they seem to have some credentials, like post-secondary education or can show they've been studying with elders and people in the know from the communities they are representing, you may feel it safe to proceed. But, you should further check a couple more things. First, do the people they claim to study with actually exist? Let's use a well-known author of "Native American spiritual practices," Lynn Andrews. She claims to have studied with a group of elder Native women called the "Sisters of the Shields," 44 women of influence and power from a multitude of tribes and Native nations across North America, and to have studied with a woman in Manitoba named Agnes Whistling Elk. If you search in Google for either of these names, the only references you find to them are in articles or pages that tie back to whom? Yup, our old friend Lynn. Or, you find names or groups with similar names that have nothing to do with our subject. Does that make your spidey senses tingle? Yeah? Good. It should.

Want to see if a specific author or event leader has had some difficulties in the past if they passed the initial Google test? Type in their name with the word "scandal" after, and watch the links pour in. Let's take the example of acclaimed author James Arthur Ray, who won awards for his books on Native spirituality, and then moved to run in-person events, rituals, and conferences. Well, because of his lack of credentials and knowing how to actually properly execute a Lakota Sweat Lodge ceremony, he accidentally killed 3 people in 2010 when one of his rituals went badly wrong. He was convicted of negligent homicide on 3 counts, and he served only 2 years in prison before being released in 2013. So, not only did he rip off the Lakota people of their deeply sacred Sweat Lodge ceremony, but because he did so without their permission and training, he caused the death of people who if they had been properly questioned by seasoned leaders of these sweats, would never have been allowed into the ceremony in the first place. The Lakota people didn't take kindly to him selling their faith for profit either, and he's faced a large amount of criticism for his ethics surrounding the running of these rituals in the first place. Rightly so. 

The fact that these people were even given a safe space within our community, and that some people, like Lynn Andrews, continue to get publishing deals with major New Age publishing companies, should be as shocking to you as it was to me. I thought Lynn Andrews was a well-known fraud, old news, and no longer a figure of authority in our community, but I was wrong. Through researching this video and blog post, I discovered that she has a new oracle deck that was published as recently as 2017 with Atria books, and is still in print. Almost all of her books still seem to be in print, in fact, and the majority ship with Amazon Prime, which means many people who are searching unknowingly for Indigenous-themed decks may see it come up at the top of their Google searches, the numerous 4 and 5 star ratings, and benignly add to cart. 

Enter my favorite resource for tracking if someone should be treated with caution or avoided at all costs; New Age Fraud. http://www.newagefraud.org/ Their actual page of "Known Frauds" has never been updated as far as I'm aware, but their forums page is gold. Click on the "Frauds" link and you will see a lot of listings by community members discussing specific people and/or resources, and the best of the new age community come together here to assist you with research as to whether or not to support someone. Ask questions, connect with other community members for help in finding better sources for the information and research you are wanting to do, and presto, your questions are answered. 

So you see? Researching authors and event leaders need not be long and scary, take up tons of time, nor lead you down multiple Google rabbit-holes looking for the information you need. And I think another piece of common-sense advice is this; if you try all the tips listed above and don't see anything negative come up about them on the first couple of pages of Google, you can probably go by the old adage that "no news is good news." Scandals, "tea," and juicy gossip tends to get a lot of clicks, and rises to the first couple of pages of Google searches, so if there's nothing there, you are probably safe to support that person. 

Another litmus test you can put to work is flipping to the back of the book if you are browsing in person, and hit the Bibliography or References pages. What are the books and resources like there? Are most of them academic sources, or cite interviews with people who are obviously members of the Indigenous communities discussed in the book? Then you're probably pretty safe in picking up that book. If the bibliography is sadly short, non-existant, or most of the references read like a laundry list of New Age authors and publishing houses, then you're probably not dealing with someone who has a lot of personal experience in the Indigenous community and is probably passing off a lot of generic neo-pagan knowledge off with a Native American flair. That's usually your indication to steer-clear. 

And I'm not going to say that every book published by Llewellyn, Random House, or Hay House isn't going to be worth reading - goodness knows I've helped keep these publishing houses in the black for years, but I do note that these publishers are not known for having their authors verify their work for factual or historical evidence, require authors to cite sources, or do any background research on their content before it hits the printer. These publishing houses are great for putting out books on beginner and intermediate witchcraft and pagan concepts, but they're not what you want to see in the bibliography section for sources of the history, anthropology, or archaeological facts presented in the book. 

If it's a course, conference, or workshop you are thinking of attending, your Google search should focus on finding testimonials or personal accounts of people who have attended the events in the past. If this is the first one, research the event itself online, and find out if you will be required to sign a waiver, if safety is a consideration at all, and find out if there will be first aid on site if you are someone who has medical problems. If it's a well-run course by an established, qualified person, the details of what's going to happen, who's going to speak, the schedule of events, and the menu for food (if being served) will be provided, so that people with special dietary or medical restrictions can plan ahead. It won't be hard to find the information, because credited people and companies want all those details to be easily accessed to prevent major issues. No one likes filling in incident paperwork you know, and well-run events will take steps to ensure that they have to do as little of that dreaded paperwork as possible. 

So, armed with your tools now, I invite you to be part of the solution for plastic shamans and fraudulent Indigenous people. Don't give them a safe space within our community. Don't purchase or share their books, decks, or works, and perhaps consider writing the publishing companies that represent them, letting them know your concerns. See posts from them on places like Instagram, TikTok or other social media where they are claiming to be things they aren't? Don't be afraid to ask them questions they should answer honestly. Questions like "do you have permission from the community whose traditions you are teaching to share this knowledge? or "What qualifies you above someone who is actually from ____ tradition to teach this content?" and things like that. People who have the permission will almost always have the sources to back up their statements, and won't be afraid to answer these questions. People who are only concerned about making a profit, however, will always avoid these questions, point to their own words as proof, or often just delete these comments or ignore these emails altogether. 

Let's stop giving these people a safe space to exist in our community. Let's stop protecting them and thinking that love and light will solve all the problems. Paganism, witchcraft, druidry, seithr, and the new age community does have a lot in common with a lot of different Indigenous spiritual and religious practices, but that doesn't give us the right to cherry-pick from them when they have clearly stated time and time again that theirs is a closed practice, restricted to people from those actual cultures, bands, tribes, and/or nations. There are times when it's okay to rub shoulders with the Indigenous community, and ways to support them that doesn't involve ripping off their culture and practices, and we would do well to remember that. 

Buy art from first nations peoples, give to charities that support their communities in meaningful ways, like helping to provide them with access to clean water on reservations (still a shockingly common thing to NOT have access to today, in 2022 as I write this, which makes me outraged), give to groups that are doing the work to help legally represent these peoples as groups, tribes, bands, or individuals in court when necessary to stop the theft of land, resources, or to compensate them for government-sanctioned abuse or damages, or to groups that provide specific support to the people, like counseling for survivors of Canadian Residential Schools, or for Native Women to fight for their rights to gaining Status back after it was taken away from their foremothers. Want to buy a pair of moccasins, earrings, a shirt with a Native art design on it, or something else like that? Buy it from a verified Indigenous source. Either the profits of the mass-produced product will go back to a specific Native community (I'm thinking things like Orange Shirts that say Every Child Matters for the Canadian Orange Shirt Day and/or Truth and Reconciliation Day) or were made by Indigenous artists, one who was paid fairly for their labor. I have a couple of pairs of earrings made by local Native artists and were unique, individual pieces sold to me by the artist themself at a local fair or market booth. My moccasins come from Manitobah Mukluks, a well-known Indigenous-owned and operated business here in Canada who make amazing good-quality footwear and accessories, and all the people involved in the creation and labor are paid fairly, and materials are sourced ethically. 

If you're a white person interested in Indigenous or Native American practices, consider finding alternative cultures, tools, techniques, or practices that can be pulled from cultures that are closer to your own ancestral ties, like those of the Celtic and Norse peoples, Grecko-Roman, etc. The similarities mean you will almost certainly be able to find books, decks, courses, workshops and conferences on the material you are wanting to study, but are available as open practices, and not considered closed. Things like Norse Seithr practices have a lot in common with things we usually consider to be some sort of North or South American core shamanism practice, and is not at risk of offending people who are actually still repressed today, and are trying valiently to stop that theft and oppression. 

Are you a fortunate person who has been invited by a friend, family member or member of your community to participate in some local Indigenous ceremonies and practices? Consider yourself extra lucky, and tread super carefully. Just because you are invited to this one ceremony, ritual, or powwow that is usually closed off to outsiders, doesn't mean you've been given a blanket permission slip to now consider yourself a member of that community, practice their culture, pass yourself off as one of them, or begin teaching these practices to others. Be incredibly respectful, listen way more than you talk, and remember, if you fuck up, you're not likely to be invited back. Remember you are representing yourself while you're there, but also to a certain extent, other white people as a group, so do yourself a favor, and the rest of us that are actually well-meaning too, and be on your best-damned behavior, okay? They've been through a lot already, don't perpetuate the wrongs of the past more than they have already. 

Well, I think that's all I want to say on this topic, so I'll leave you here with a link to my most recent video to watch, and I hope you found this post helpful. Share it with your friends if you think some of them will find it useful, and remember, if we make plastic shamans and fraudulent people uncomfortable in our community, and give them no place here, there will be far fewer out there. Stay vigilant about the things you spend your money on, and always use your critical thinking skills. Ask questions. Research authors, artists, creators, and hosts. And if something doesn't add up, don't buy it, participate in it, or support it.