Bud Tillinghast wrote: > Dear Dr Ramsay, > > I teach World Religions at our local community college, College of the > Redwoods. I suspect that you might have something similar taught at your > college. It didn't take me long to discover that it is just not done for > people to appropriate practices from another religion, especially if > that religion would take offense. New Age Religion is a new syncretism > and the worst offender about sensitivities of those from whom it borrows. > > With the 500th anniversary of the arrival of Columbus, there was a local > forum. (Our area has a high percentage of Native Americans). Some > caucasian, with prayer and thought, had made a 'Talking Stick' to help > the discussion. This co-opting of a Native American religious symbol was > so offensive that some Native Americans walked out. > > Another instance: a Jewish community often finds the use of a Passover > Seder incorporated into a Christian Church's Holy Week celebrations as > offensive. Especially when the Seder is turned into a preliminary to the > church's Christian proclamation. > > The problems are usually avoided simply by consulting the religious > community involved. > > So teaching religious sensitivities has become a standard part of out > course. > > In the future, I would suggest that planners of your program consult > instructors in Religious Studies at your college or at an adjoining > University to gain help in avoiding needless offense > > Yours for successful multiculturalism, > Harold A Tillinghast > > On Tuesday, April 23, 2002, at 10:23 AM, Andre P. Cramblit wrote: > > > From: "Andre P. Cramblit" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Date: Tue Apr 23, 2002 10:23:55 AM US/Pacific > > Subject: Plastic Shaman Alert > > Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > Beginning tomorrow, Tuesday, San Antonio College will be holding a > > conference on multiculturalism and slapping the Indian community in the > > face. (http://www.accd.edu/sac/english/portales/conf.htm) > > > > The keynote speaker for the conference is "Chief" Michael Hull. Mr. > > Hull > > is a non-Indian Austin attorney and author of Sun Dancing: A Spiritual > > Journey on the Red Road > > (http://www.parkstpress.com/titles/sundan.htm#Author) He will be > > speaking > > on Indian spirituality. Mr. Hull is closely associated with > > Thunderhorse > > Ranch, a New Age center in south Texas run by Mary Thunder. In her > > excellent American Indian Quarterly article titled "Plastic Shamans and > > Astroturf Sun Dances: New Age Commercialization of Native American > > Spirituality" (http://muse.jhu.edu/demo/aiq/24.3aldred.html), Lisa > > Aldred > > says this about Mary Thunder: "Not all those designated as "plastic" by > > Native American activists publish books. There are quite a number who > > run > > workshops, seminars, or centers claiming to teach Native American > > spiritual > > practice. For example, one non-Native American woman who calls herself > > Mary > > Thunder runs a New Age center in Texas where she conducts sweats, pipe > > ceremonies, and talks with space aliens through Max > > > > I will not presume to judge Mr. Hull's spiritual authenticity. I do > > find > > it outrageous that San Antonio College chooses a non-Indian for its > > keynote > > speaker on Indian spirituality, and one so openly tied to an individual > > regarded in the Indian community as an exploiter of Native spirituality. > > > > Please let me know your thoughts on this, and contact Dr. Robert W. > > Ramsay, > > Chancellor, Alamo Community College District (210-208-8000) at > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] who will also be speaking at the opening ceremonies. > > Please convey the inappropriateness of not including speakers from the > > American Indian community on the topic of Indian spirituality. > > > > -- > > > > Andr� Cramblit: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > Operations Director Northern California Indian Development Council > > > > NCIDC (http://www.ncidc.org) is a non-profit that meets the development > > needs of American Indians and operates an art gallery featuring the art > > of > > California tribes (http://www.americanindianonline.com) > >
-- Andr� Cramblit: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Operations Director Northern California Indian Development Council NCIDC (http://www.ncidc.org) is a non-profit that meets the development needs of American Indians and operates an art gallery featuring the art of California tribes (http://www.americanindianonline.com) Visit and show your support for the Grass Roots Oyate http://members.tripod.com/GrassRootsOyate Clemency for Leonard Peltier. Sign the Petition. http://petitiononline.com/Release/petition.html ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [email protected] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?b1ddNB.b2HgmN Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
