I have met the woman, and even taken a seminar from her and attended what was
supposedly her 50th birthday party in Marin back in 1958.... If she was 50 at
that time, I'm 75... She claimed to learn everything she knows from her
Cherokee grandmother .... since she's Irish (according to Mr. Fastwolf), that
must have been an interesting trick. And now she is Apache? There are
several very angry people who would LOVE to have her current address.
Regarding Sidney's statement:
| I'm much more tolerant of native people selling $800 vision quests and the
| like than I am of whites, so these issues are imortant to me. Also, Both
| women, as I recall raise money for native elders and low income reservation
| indian peoples survival.
In every tribe I've ever known off, Vision Quests are NOT FOR SALE.... unless
the dire times we are living in have changed a thousand year old culture.....
Even Northern Exposure would not tell people that. Can you sell a "first
communion" or a Bar Mitzpah? I'll tell you, buying one would be a LOT easier
than 3 or 4 years or more of Hebrew School, and all the solemnity that goes
along with it... First communions are a lot easier, but still not for sale.
also:
| Or people who have been adopted by a particular tribe or clan who were born
| white. Do they then have any right to teach what they've learned, if theire
| teachers say it's O.K.? I think it's important to ask
I've always wondered about spirituality teaching so I can't answer this. But,
in the field of Indian Basketry, the GENERAL unwritten rule is that if someone
if kind enough to share their knowledge with you, without receiving any
financial gain (they gave you instruction free, out of either appreciation for
your interest, or because they are concerned that if they don't start sharing
with SOMEONE that when they leave old terra firma this art will be gone), then
you SHOULD NOT teach someone else without your mentor's permission. This
would particularly be true if you rec'd large sums of money for it. It they
knew you are a teacher BEFORE they teach you something, it would be naive of
them to think you weren't going to pass it on for money or otherwise. Hence,
I ALWAYS mention "my students" when I am working with other Native American
Weavers. Also, I would NEVER give a class in my mentors "back yard" at the
request of some other group of people without her permission, and preferably,
I ask whomever is soliciting me to ask her first, and if she doesn't want to
teach the workshop then I will agree to it. (This was the case last year when
I gave a class at Yosemite, where my main "teacher" is the "official" basket
weaver of note.) I told the organiza- tion wanting the workshop they needed
to phone her with an offer first, and if that didn't work, they needed to
write to her at least twice. If she neglected to respond by phone or mail
then I would agree to do it. IT CAN GET COMPLICATED!!!.
On the other hand, I give workshops here in the Bay Area all the time, but
that is 200 miles plus from "her territory". If what I was teaching was
something very special that she had shared with me (how to copy a personal
object of hers) I would NEVER do it without assurance from her that it was
o.k., and perhaps not even then.
2nd possibility: In the S.F. Bay Area, there are a couple of Native Americans
who are paid "big bucks" to come here and do workshops for the weekend ($150
per person minimum). This is a LOT of money unless you work for a school
district, of Title V and are being reimbursed. There is no pretence about
whether or not you are buying this knowledge, and hence your "right" to pass
it on. If you become personal friends with the teacher, however, as a
courtesy it would be wise to ask her permission (if you are a native american
at least). They don't expect as much from whites .... lack of consideration
or just plain bad manners are often expected, which I feel is very unfortunate
for my anglo side of the family.....
Hope this helps .... and by the way, I still get on some people's shit list
even though I am very careful about what is accepted or not accepted, BUT it
is usually not with the teacher them selves, but with other judgmental natives
for whatever private agenda they may be running .... in one case it was
jealousy, the other couple God only knows.... I lost a LOT of sleep worrying
about it until it was pointed out that I could go gray trying to please
everyone.
lyn dearborn