Do you think you are "Indian by heart" or were "an Indian in a past life"? Do you admire native ways and want to incorporate them into your life and do "your own" version of a sweat lodge or a "vision quest"? Have you seen ads, books, and websites that offer to "train you to become a "Native American Shaman" in an easy number of steps, a few days on the weekend, or for a fee? Have you really thought this all the way through? Have you thought about how native people feel about what you might want to do? Please think about these important points before you take that fateful step and expend time, money, and emotional investment:

1. Native people do not believe it is ethical to charge money for any ceremony or teaching.

2. Any who charge you even a penny are not authentic.

3. Native traditionalists believe the only acceptable way to transmit traditional teachings is orally and face-to-face.

4. Learning medicine ways takes decades and must be done with great caution and patience out of respect for the sacred.

5. Any offer to teach you all you need to know in a weekend seminar or two is wishful thinking at best, fraud at worst.

6. These fraudulent operators are not the slightest bit reputable.

7. Women should be extremely wary of any "teacher" who claims physical intimacy is part of an alleged "ceremony".

Most of these fraudulent operators have been caught making complete fantasies of what many non-natives wish natives were like. Another way to say it is that they are outright liars and hoaxers. You probably are asking yourself, "Are any of these people for real and a good way for me to learn?" Please understand the following points about native spiritual ways:

Native belief systems are communal, not focused on the individual’s faith like Christianity. Native beliefs are tribal-specific. There is no "generic Indian" form of spirituality. There are as many differences from tribe-to-tribe as there are between Hinduism and the Church of England. No one would think of teaching those two as the same and calling them ""Indo-European," yet many of these fraudulent operators teach a thrown together mishmash of bits and pieces of different beliefs.

Traditional elders are very cautious about changing rituals and mixing different customs, it does happen, of course, but only after lengthy discussions that can take decades. These fraudulent operators are very casual and haphazard in what they do, in a manner that shows they have no understanding of or respect for the sacred. Traditional elders do not believe that any ceremony can be done by anyone who feels like it. It’s that same caution and respect for the sacred. Yet these fraudulent operators will let anyone do their inaccurate version of a ceremony if they have the money.

Vision quests, for example, are intended for young boys age 12 to 14, but boys don’t have much money, so these fraudulent operators sell "quests" for hundreds or thousands to mostly middle-aged men and women. There are of course that legitimate representatives of Tribal Ceremony who may help adults with what we call "going on the hill". Only they won't charge you for it.

There is also the matter of telling people they can be shamans and charging them for it. If you were interested in Judaism, would you pay money to someone who said he could make you a rabbi in just one weekend seminar?

Think about the lack of respect these operators show to native people and beliefs, not mention their own followers, by defrauding people. Think also about how it makes it harder for natives and whites to get along when whites have been given an untrue picture of native cultures. We have to learn to get along and we can’t do that as long as non-natives give support to operators who push a fraudulent version of what we are like.

We (native people and our supporters) realize that most of you do not know any better, at least not yet, but we hope you learn about these matters from more reputable sources and in a more respectful manner. If it says New Age or Shamanism on the cover, it’s not a good source for learning about natives. Find out which authors can be trusted before you pay money to operators who harm us all.

True Ceremonial people are out there. They are likely in your midst, but they seldom wear a banner or make an announcement. They truly believe the Creator will put the right people together at the right time.

*************************************** Native American Healing in the 21st Century *************************************** Quantity in Basket: none Code: NAH21RH Price: $24.95 Shipping Weight: 0.00 pounds       Quantity:   Ancient Remedies Now Endorsed by Modern Medicine A comprehensive look at the healing practices of American Indians and how many of those natural remedies are applicable to today's alternative health-conscious society. This video looks at the ancient health, and healing methods of American Indians, comparing and contrasting their techniques for maintaining their health with those of China and India. It discusses the invaluable contributions the Native Americans made to our early frontier heritage and shows how many of those same healing plants and herbs are an important source of today’s modern methods of maintaining health. The point is clearly made that what has been effective for thousands of years may still be the best means of maintaining a healthy lifestyle today. VHS Video (60 Mins.) All of our products are 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed You may also place your order Toll Free: 1-877-243-6583   Fax: 1-800-884-3599 (USA only) US Mail or Fax, money orders, personal or travelers checks Click Here for a printable form. International Mail Orders (Outside of the United States) Click Here for a printable form. ~ Our "Secure Checkout Order Form" accepts all major credit cards, and debit cards ~ To learn about CardService International Secured Transactions Click Here

Help AIROS by writing them a letter of support telling the Public Radio Satellite System how much you appreciate AIROS programming.

Send your comments to airos@unl.edu

Everyone at AIROS (American Indian Radio on Satellite) appreciates you listening online or through your local public, tribal or community radio station. The people at AIROS wish to continue to work hard in making AIROS available 24 hours a day. And with that in mind, they need to hear from you now.

NAPT/AIROS is in the process of re-applying this year for the in-kind satellite channel and uplink services from the Public Radio Satellite System (PRSS) in Washington, DC, and they need your suppoert letter. This in-kind saves AIROS the cost of paying for satellite time and uplink charges which amount to about $243,000 per year.

The Distribution/Interconnection committee of the NPR (National Public Radio) Board meets in July to review and hopefully approve their application for another three years of in-kind satellite channel support for AIROS. Without this in-kind discount from the PRSS, AIROS could not provide Indian Country with programming 24 hours a day through both radio and webcasts.

Please e-mail your support letters to airos@unl.edu.

This PRSS in-kind support is only one part of keeping AIROS on the air, and they are required to reapply every three years to the NPR Board's D/I committee. They thank you for being a part of the AIROS family, and they want to continue serving you and the rest of Indian Country.

10. You have several CPU's up on blocks in your living room.
9. Your wife doesn't want to hear that lame old "my server was down" excuse anymore.
8. You think a floppy disk slot crammed with tobacco and flat cedar will somehow increase your connection speed.
7. You send eeezzzzmail.
6. Your mail address is DancesWithModems@hotmail.com.
5. Before you attend a powwow, you need to check its website first.
4. Your mouse is coated with frybread grease.
3. You ask chicks for their email address at powwows.
2. You have a beaded zip drive.
1. You now know a hard drive isn't just the road home from the 49!

10. He tries to sell you your own personal mile of the Red Road.
9. You begin to suspect his traditional herbal medicine is really just crushed up Tylenol from IHS.
8. His Sundance is sponsored by Frito-Lay.
7. Suddenly, all his ceremonies seem real familiar after you watch the movie "Billy Jack" again.
6. The only tribal nation he is affiliated with is Donation.
5. Rich ladies from California are convinced he needs a different colored 2001 4x4 truck for each of the 4 directions.
4. Not only does he have a website, but the address is www.sellout.com.
3. The only thing in his pipebag is a portable credit card machine.
2. In order to attend one of his sweats, you need to contact Ticketmaster first.
1. His sacred white buffalo reeks of spray paint.
Suggest a Native American joke you would like to be included in future issues.

In gratitude to you, our members, customers, friends and visitors, we proudly present some of the free features you will find @ Buffalo Trails. You can now send free Native American musical greeting cards to your friends and family, and if you like free stuff, we have completely overhauled our Free Stuff webpage and no longer offer non-native free stuff. We do offer a wide selection of Native American free stuff offered by other native websites. You can follow these link to get your own free website, or read Free Native American Quote's, download beadwork patterns, screensavers, desktop themes, MP3's or midi songs and many more of the best Native American Free Stuff offers on the web.

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Due to the many requests we have received and in an effort to provide you with the best Native American content, we have searched the web and linked to some of the best Native American resouces available and created Native American Links Search @ Buffalo Trails. Search our collection of Native American links! These sites includes links to sites about Native American issues and resources. The presence of these Native American links is not an endorsement of these websites by Buffalo Trails.