May 14, 2009

Due diligence on the Nemenhah Band

Another "tribe" of plastic shamans has been in the news this week:

Phony "band" sells healing
Hodgkin's patient is Nemenhah "elder"

Now here are some quotes from the Nemenhah Band itself:

About UsThe Nemenhah Band and Native American Traditional Organization (Oklevueha Native American Church of Sanpete) was established as an Indigenous Group and People by Self Determination through the original writing and ratification of the Band Constitution in 2003 by the General Council of Nemenhah Mothers. Phillip ‘Cloudpiler’ Landis, NAP, ND, was elected to the position of Principle Medicine Chief and has been re-elected every year since then by the unanimous vote of the yearly Great Council of the Nemenhah. At the same time, the Band was established as an Independent Branch of the Oklevueha Native American Church of Utah, and later of the Oklevueha/Sioux Nation Allied Native American Church, under the direction of Chief Richard ‘He Who Has The Foundation’ Swallow, Head of the Eagle Clan of the Lakota and the Rosebud Native American Church.ConstitutionNemenhah Band and Native American Traditional Organization. An Educational Auxiliary of The Oklevueha Native American Church of Sanpete.

Declaration of Good Conscience and Practice, Constitution, and Establishment of a Native American Traditional Organization beginning in this State of Utah, in the United States of America. In a Sacred Manner We Are Talking. In a Sacred Manner We Are Walking.

Preamble

We, Nemenhah, believe in the Creator and that the Creator made all men and women who have lived, do now live, and who will yet live, as free and equal beings. We recognize the inherent, ancestral, sovereign rights granted to all people by the Creator, human conscience, international law, and legal constructs of reciprocity, mutuality, and comity, which cannot be diminished or extinguished. We believe that we derive from and that we may become like the Nemenhah who lived in this land anciently and that, through their literal descendents, we claim the right to form a Native American Traditional Organization based upon their teachings which have been passed down to us through the traditions, customs, ceremonies, writings, and records of the Native American People, among which we acknowledge the Mentinah Archives by way of example.
Individual Spiritual AdoptionNemenhah Medicine Men and Women declare that Natural Healing is part of their Spiritual Orientation and that they will ‘First Do No Harm.’ If you can make this declaration, the Nemenhah Band invites you to request Spiritual Adoption and join with the Community of the Nemenhah.

Membership is only by Spiritual Adoption. It is also the only way the Nemenhah Seminary can accept you into the program and designate you a Medicine Man or Medicine Woman. As a Nemenhah Medicine Man or Woman you will be able to practice your Healing Ministry under the full weight and protection of the Native American Free Exercise of Religion Act 1993 (NAFERA) and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act 1993 (RFRA).

After reading the Constitution of the Band, if you wish to request Spiritual Adoption and to begin your training as a Nemenhah Medicine Man or Woman, click on the link below, download the PDF application for spiritual adoption, fill it out, and mail with the suggested donation to:

Nemenhah
P.O. Box 126
Weaubleau, MO 65774
The Sacred GiveawayThe Nemenhah Seminary is not a Commerce-Based Program. It depends entirely upon the generous donations of its Members for support.

The Sacred Giveaway is the method by which the Nemenhah Program is supported. The Suggested Offering amount for the Ceremonial Service of Individual Spiritual Adoption is $250.00 initially and $100.00 annually. Thereafter, Nemenhah Members of good intention, willingly make regular, monthly offerings from out of their own financial stewardship. They do this prayerfully, relying on Spirit to direct them in the amount or kind of offering that is most appropriate. They never neglect this part of the Adoption Covenant, understanding that if they do, the Nemenhah Band cannot continue in its important work and its offering to Humanity globally.
Due DiligenceLine of Authority

In the USA, ‘Tribe’ is a legalized term which only has to do with those entities recognized by the U.S. Dept. of the Interior, or by Act of Congress, to receive special ‘reservations’ to the treaties into which they entered with their conquerors.

‘Band’ and ‘Traditional Organization’ are terms that are regulated more by the Native American People than by Federal or State Governments.

Federal Law dictates that a ‘Native American Practitioner’ or ‘Traditional Spiritual Leader’ must be either an enrolled member of a Federally Recognized Tribe or Band, or he/she must be recognized as such by Tribes, Bands, or other Native American Traditional Organizations. Therefore, every member of the Nemenhah Band enjoys recognition, not as Tribal Medicine People, such as Lakota or Yankton or Mandan, to name few, but rather, as Nemenhah Medicine Men or Women and Ministers of the Oklevueha Native American Church of Sanpete.

The Line of Authority cited above does not rely upon the changing political factions within the Tribes, but rather, upon recognition that, once given, cannot be taken away because of the nature of Native American Religion.
Comment:  When any organization's writing is this verbose and unclear, you can be sure it's trying to deceive you.

If I read this bafflegab correctly, the Nemenhah Band's claim goes as follows: An act of Congress recognized one branch of the Native American Church. Someone in this Church recognized the Nemenhah Band. By the transitive law, recognition has passed from Congress to the NAC to the Nemenhah Band, which means the Nemenhah Band is as "Native" as any tribe or tribal organization.

Alas, the Nemenhah Band's claim is wrong. This may explain why its "Chief Cloudpiler" has been convicted of fraud before.

For more on the subject, see New Age Mystics, Healers, and Ceremonies.

7 comments:

James WFE said...

"Alas, the Nemenhah Band's claim is wrong. This may explain why its "Chief Cloudpiler" has been convicted of fraud before."
Alas, because 'Phil 'Cloudpiler' Landis was once convicted of fraud makes his good works 'fraudulent?
It seems your interpretation of your Due diligence on the Nemenhah Band has more to say about you than Chief 'Cloudpiler' and the Native American Church he presides over.

Are you a member of a bona fide Native American Church?

Are you a practicing American Native Medicine Person?

What trials and tribulations have you sent yourself through to stand up for your 'spiritual' belief system?

When and how does another person hold any creditability to declare and mandate to what a churches by-laws should be and subsequently be adhered to?

To enhance your due diligence Phil ‘Cloudpiler’ Landis was blessed and sanctified by Myself James Warren ‘Flaming Eagle’ Mooney a Seminole Medicine Man from a bona fide ‘Non Federalized’ Oklevueha Band of Seminole Indians and Co-founder of Oklevueha Native American Church; Gary Lee ‘Strong Man’ Tom, former Tribal Chief of the Paiute Federally recognized Tribe and Custodian of the Medicine for Oklevueha Native American Church; and Richard ‘He Who Has the Foundation’ Swallow, Chief of the Lakota Sioux Nation Eagle Clan part of a federally recognized Tribe and Co-Founder of Oklevueha Native American Church, http://www.nativeamericanchurch.net/NAC/Misc.%20Files/3rd.%20Oklevueha%20Native%20American%20Church,%20December%2017,%202007.pdf,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gyeyt_cRu3E&feature=channel_page .

Laurel said...

Mr. Mooney:

Nice misdirection, but nobody has to join a NA church, be a practicing "NAMP" or have any spiritual belief system at all to call a fraud a fraud. It's "Cloudpiler"'s actions that prove him fraudulent. This "pay to pray" stuff is always a dead giveaway.

I know the Nemenhah Band is not a Native American group but a for-profit venture peddling snake oil to the naive. I know this because I researched it with an open mind--even though I already knew that hundreds or thousands of non-Native people play Indian for profit. I also already knew that as soon as people like this get called on their crap, someone (usually just one) will rush to the fraud's defense with bizarre arguments (like "Are YOU a Medicine Person? Then shut up!"), often while namedropping like crazy to prove their own NDN cred, for which they offer zero evidence.

You have noticed that nobody else seems to be defending this guy? I gotta wonder--what's in it for you?

http://www.computernewbie.info/wheatdogg/2009/05/11/a-sad-curious-tale-of-rampant-duplicity-and-stupidity/

A kid with very curable cancer is dying over this malarkey, this mixing of fake Native American religion with fake "natural healing." Have you no shame?

dmarks said...

Is this a form of MLM (multi-level marketing) fraud?

Anonymous said...

I found your blog while reading the news story about the boy whose family does not want chemo for him.

This "group" is just more white people playing about and trying to cash in.

Me: white, native Floridian.

Anonymous said...

"First, do no harm" is also the first edict of the Hippocratic oath that physicians take. To say that they never do harm is, obviously wrong, just as it would be wrong to say that no one has ever been harmed by a Native American Medicine Man/Woman. If this mother truly believes this edict, she must see that NOT doing anything is also causing harm. Not to mention taking her son's life. He is too young to make this type of life altering decision and I pray that God is with the family and protects them while the mother comes to terms with her decision to run. We know that chemotherapy has it's side effects. One of them is a 90% cure rate. The child is scared and taking his calls from his mother. She needs to come around. God be with them.

Rob said...

Regarding your questions, James, Laurel is correct. None of them are relevant to the issue of the Nemenhah Band's "line of authority."

I couldn't care less who "blessed and sanctified" Landis. The question is whether Landis has any political or legal standing. Whatever you're claiming for him, I doubt it's true.

If you think he has some political or legal standing, go ahead and cite the source of your beliefs. Make sure it's an independent party who understands federal law and not your own page of bafflegab. Your opinion that you know what you're talking about doesn't impress me.

Or you could answer some simple questions for us. Yes, let's cut through the bafflegab and get down to brass tacks:

1) Is Landis an American Indian: yes or no?

2) Is the Nemenhah Band an American Indian tribe: yes or no?

3) If someone stopped making "voluntary donations" to Landis, would he continue treating the person: yes or no?

Anonymous said...

NDN GUy..
I am all what I need to be according to the Great Spirit. According to whiteman laws, I am 100% native of this land. My ancestors have suffered by the hands of the oppressors. Simply stated. These guys charge $$, LMAO! then claim to be all that! I know the NAC and the chiefs mentioned... disolved! BE REAL PEOPLE, Know the FAKES b4 another Person gets hurt like in SEDONA! Walk in TRUTH. AHO