> I recommend, however, that instead of stealing from us, go deep into
> your background, be it Catholic or Protestant or Jewish or Italian or
> Norwegian, and find some meaning there.
>
> Go back to your roots and leave ours alone, please.
Well, here we are again. Full circle and back to the discussion of religious
and cultural appropriation. I checked my folder titled "Cherokee Religion" and
it is crammed packed with all sorts of commentaries, opinions, and points
of view related to the same issues raised in "The New Agers Are
Stealing." Amy, Charles, the woman raising four kids on her own (the fancy
dancer) and many more Indian voices on this list basically agreed - we
need some space: uncrowded by other people's needs and yearnings. However,
I expect to see the usual onslaught of words (thousands and thousands and
millions of words) from the erudite as they try to convince us that we are
somehow misguided, stingy, or mean-spirited for not wanting to "share"
everything with them. I applaud Faith Spotted Eagle for her courage to
speak her mind. I also thank her for saying what I often hesitate to say.
Maybe we will continue to revisit the same issues over and over again
until ... Well, who knows how long this one will brew. And by the way, is
this discussion somehow related to questions of "Who Can Dance At Pow-Wows?"
For the record, I will once again suggest dancing inter-tribals, circle
dances, even owl dances, but leave the contesting part to Native Americans.
Rio, Ready For Another Ride
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