” Native American Tarot”
Was just reading about a new policy that Ebay will inaugurate and find myself nodding my head in approval.
A blow to crystal wavers who may now to have set up their card tables and folding chairs in public squares again.
I particularly like numbers six and ten on the list, and hope it will apply to our beliefs and all those genuine Native American faux artifacts that are currently available on Ebay and the net.
In the perfect world this would extend to encompass eprayers, dvds, and all things related-but I’m sure many who make their living in this way would invoke free speech in some manner, after all Capitalism trumps all other considerations.
I don’t have a problem when indigenous art or crafts are offered by indigenous artisans, but I would bet the vast majority of what we see is not.
A very real sign of the times is we now have people like Crow Dog promoting themselves as “spiritual intercessors”-I wonder if that includes the wearing of a collar or a nuns habit, or if it’s possible to embrace “colonialism” to a greater extent?
Even more bizarre are those among us who promote themselves as “seers”-might as well just come all the way out of the closet and call yourself a plastic shaman-that’s where the real money is to be found. But I suppose the appellation of “chief” suffices for the moment.
Terms like spiritual intercessor and seer are employed for a specific purpose, a specific audience- not for us- and I would say it is a classic example of Caveat emptor -buyer beware.
Number 5 on the list may be preemptive-as far as I know none of our “chiefs” or “seers” are offering bottled potions-though a case could be made that the instructional dvds offering insights into the “sacred ways” amount to the same thing.
Maybe too the idea hasn’t dawned on them yet, and it along with collectors cards are in the offing. Maybe even a deck of AIM tarot cards.
Bottom line is I hope this hits them where it hurts-the pocketbook.
I have no doubt others have the medicine to be able to see things-it isn’t singularly an attribute of some within the nations-the issue for me is when the non indigenous attempt to associate their version with us, incorporate a single element of our beliefs, or start talking about their “Spirit Guides” who just happen to be Running Bear or Little Feather.
http://news.yahoo.com/the-10-craziest-items-you-can-t-sell-on-ebay.html
we dp not know these ones the intercessor and the seer, they are the stranger to us and our people and we do not care to know them.