DISCLAIMER: THE BOOKS OR ANYTHING ELSE SHOWN TO THE RIGHT OF ALL MY GUIDES & REVIEWS ARE PUT THERE BY EBAY. I DO NOT ENDORSE ANY OF THEM!!!<p>
BEFORE YOU BUY THAT BOOK ON AMERICAN INDIAN MYSTICISM, SHAMANISM, CEREMONY, ETC, OR PURCHASE THAT 'GENUINE AMERICAN INDIAN'  ITEM, STOP & CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING, PLEASE!
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You either ARE, or are ABOUT TO BE scammed into becoming what the TRUE Native American People call "Wannabes", "Twinkies", or "Plastic Indians". You also have PROBABLY been duped by what is called a "Plastic Shaman"!
For your information, "shamans" are found in ASIA, Tibet, & maybe a few in the old Russian states. Native people DO NOT use the label "shaman" !!! "Shaman" is NOT, I repeat, definitely NOT now, nor has it EVER been a word found in ANY AUTHENTIC NATIVE AMERICAN LANGUAGE ! It has been imported & assigned to American Indian Tribal beliefs by FRAUDS, FAKES, NEW AGE GURUS, & the like! If it has "Shaman" in the title, it's FAKE!!! Trust me on this! Check out actual TRIBAL websites by typing in 'Plastic Shamans' in any search engine. The warnings are numerous! They also NAME NAMES! <p>
BEFORE YOU BUY:
~~1st & perhaps foremost:
REAL Native Traditionalists believe the ONLY acceptable way to transmit traditional teachings is orally and face-to-face. Any so-called "traditional teachings" found in ANY book or in any "class", off-reservation "sacred lodge" or "learning center", on ANY websites, etc, are NOT entirely, or in some cases, NOT AT ALL authentic, be assured. Ask at your LOCAL RESERVATION about any "teachings" going on in your area. The only way to STOP the FAKES is to REPORT THEM TO THE RECOGNIZED TRIBES !!! PLEASE NOTICE I SAID 'RECOGNIZED' Tribes !!! There are entire FAKE tribes started by & "guided" by FAKE Indians, some with HUGE followings! It is very easy to know which is a RECOGNIZED TRIBE & which is NOT...go to the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT'S WEBSITE, do a search for "federally recognized tribes" & download the PDF file there of ALL Federally RECOGNIZED Tribes.
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Do I care I think the U.S. government has any right whatsoever to "recognize" a Tribe or not? NO! But I DO care if anyone gets ripped-off by FAKES, or SELL-OUTS! Do I believe one has to be "registered" with a certain "BQ" to actually BE an Indian? NO! But, too many people today are using this New Age feeding frenzy for ANYTHING "Indian" to make money off unknowing folks who so want to BE an Indian! You will know IF you are a REAL Indian by looking in a mirror, OR by having been BORN one. You can "consider yourself" Indian or "identify yourself" as affiliated with a certain Tribe, but if that Tribe doesn't agree, forget it! <p>

~~2nd, & VERY IMPORTANT,
 ANY real Native traditions, stories, ceremonies, songs, etc, take usually a LIFETIME to understand & get perfectly right, and must be done with great respect, patience, & honor of the TRUE sacredness involved. Any offer to teach you all you need to know in a BOOK, "seminar" , or in a "private ceremony",a video or audio tape, or by website, etc, is malarkey at best, & FRAUD at worst. Newspapers, websites, TV news, & personal accounts are FULL of stories of people who have been ROBBED, RAPED, or WORSE by these charlatans POSING as Indian "guides, gurus, psychics, spiritual leaders, Shamans", etc". If ANYBODYtells you they are a teacher of ANY ceremony, or a guide toANYTHING Indian, CALL THAT TRIBE that they claim affiliation to & ASK THE TRIBE to verify the claims! THIS COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE, not to mention your bank account!

~~3rd, Ask any archaeologist if there is ANY record of ANY dig producing even ONE "medicine card" or "medicine wheel" (such as I've seen sold online or in stores). The answer will be NO !

~~4th, VERY IMPORTANT: ONLY A MEMBER OF A FEDERALLY RECOGNIZED TRIBE CAN OFFER AN AUTHENTIC NATIVE AMERICAN ANYTHING FOR SALE. ALL FEDERALLY RECOGNIZED TRIBES HAVE PHONE NUMBERS & CURRENT CHIEFS LISTED ON THE U.S. GOVERNMENT'S WEBSITE! Call before you buy! Anyone else who offers an item as "NATIVE AMERICAN MADE" is guilty of a CRIME.
THE LAW SAYS:
'The Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-644) is a truth-in-advertising law that prohibits misrepresentation in marketing of Indian arts and crafts products within the United States. It is illegal to offer or display for sale, or sell any art or craft product in a manner that falsely suggests it is Indian produced, an Indian product, or the product of a particular Indian or Indian Tribe or Indian arts and crafts organization, resident within the United States. For a first time violation of the Act, an individual can face civil or criminal penalties up to a $250,000 fine or a 5-year prison term, or both. If a business violates the Act, it can face civil penalties or can be prosecuted and fined up to $1,000,000.

Under the Act, an Indian is defined as a member of any federally or State recognized Indian Tribe...

The law covers all Indian and Indian-style traditional and contemporary arts and crafts produced after 1935. The Act broadly applies to the marketing of arts and crafts by any person in the United States. Some traditional items frequently copied by non-Indians include Indian-style jewelry, pottery, baskets, carved stone fetishes, woven rugs, kachina dolls, and clothing.

It is illegal to market an art or craft item using the name of a tribe if a member, or certified Indian artisan, of that tribe did not actually create the art or craft item.

If you purchase an art or craft product represented to you as Indian-made, and you learn that it is not, first contact the dealer to request a refund. If the dealer does not respond to your request, you can also contact your local Better Business Bureau, Chamber of Commerce, and the local District Attorney's office, as you would with any consumer fraud complaint. Second, contact the Indian Arts and Crafts Board with your written complaint regarding violations of the Act.

 Obtain written certification from the individual vendors that their Indian arts or craftwork were produced by tribal members or by certified Indian artisans.'

Are any of these "Indian authors", "teachers", "shamans", "holy men", "medicine men" , "beloved women", or "elders" who write these books, make these tapes, conduct these seminars & ceremonies a good way for me to learn?" you may ask.
NO !!! NO !!! NO !!! Please try to understand & respect the ANCIENT beliefs of the very people you may say you want to honor.

There is only ONE way to learn tradition, & that is from a REAL Indian, who is a REAL teacher/healer/elder/etc, from a REAL Tribe, who will decide for him-/herself if they WANT to teach you ANYTHING, & if they do, it will be face-to-face for a very LONG time! You will be CHOSEN, you will NOT choose as you please!
NO ONE is OBLIGATED to teach ANYONE ANYTHING! NOBODY OWES YOU HIS BELIEFS!

Native belief systems are COMMUNAL, that is they are practiced by an entire group & are NOT focused on individual faith like, say, Christianity is. One is BORN into such a belief system. American Indians do NOT go out trying to get or create NEW member Indians! You are BORN Indian or you're NOT.

2. Native beliefs are TRIBAL-SPECIFIC. There is no ONE form of spirituality that applies across the board to every Indian alive, or even to every Tribe there is. There are as many differences from Tribe to Tribe as there are differences between Taoism &, say, any Protestant belief system. <p>

3. ANY teaching that "blends" the traditions of 2 or more Tribes, or of a Tribe & a foreign religion, or creates a "NEW" tradition, custom, or teaching is NOT AUTHENTIC!

 Native People realize that most of you do not know any better, at least not yet, but hope you TRY to learn about these matters from reputable TRIBAL sources, and in a more respectful manner. Please, ask the REAL INdians! Go to the Nations themselves!

ALSO NOTE!!!
Despite promotional claims, there is no connection between Native American Indians and UFOs, Tarot cards, medicine wheel spinning, or group sweats, group crystal-gazing, hypnotism, or psychic trances to revealyour animal, your new Indian name, or any other thing, all of which are New Age GIMMICKS. <p>
Watchdog organizations, such as  Cherokees Against Twinkies, patrol the Internet for rip-off artists, self-proclaimed Indians, New Age teachers, & FAKE 'Indian' authors, etc. If you spot one, please, let the Tribes know!

Native People all over the Americas are outraged by New Age commercialization of their Nations & People. American Indian culture is being stolen, stripped, & pieces sold to gullible buyers. Please don't be one of these!

THINK BEFORE YOU BUY!