White Shamans and Plastic Medicine Men is a documentary dealing with the popularization and commercialization of Native American spiritual traditions by Non-Indians. Important questions are asked of those seeking to exploit ritual and sacred ceremony and of those vested with safeguarding sacred ways. This documentary is thematically organized, and deals with romantic stereotypes and copying, the impatience of new age practitioners contrasted to the fact that indigenous spiritual traditions are thousands of years old, and the proselytizing nature of these new age practitioners. The film represents a wide range of voices from several native communities, and speaks to issues of cultural appropriation with humor, righteous anger, and thoughtful insight.
Video Rating: 4 / 5
@jenkinscrowe What on earth makes you think that I said they are “equal”? Equality is irrelevant. The point you make is irrelevant. If a privileged white lawyer from a good family steals $10 million – it’s theft. If a non-white homeless person who was only ever mistreated steals? a car – it’s theft. If anyone excludes based solely on colour, it’s racism. The background might make something more understandable but it never makes a wrong thing right.
@jenkinscrowe Cont. I never said that the underlying racism in this video was “equal” to the racism experienced by Native Americans. That’s absurd and rather silly of you attribute that idea to me. It’s also a complete red herring. But just because some groups have experienced grotesque racism doesn’t make their racism acceptable, or make them immune from being challenged about it.
@Essanach, really? 500 years of Western Euro (is that better than “white”?) genocide is not worse, but equivalent, to a victimized society/societies deciding who they want to accept into their religion/culture–both are equally racist? Nope. Context matters. It’s leaving out context that is absurd.
@jenkinscrowe To put it another way, everyone understands that to exclude based simply on colour is wrong – when it is exclusion carried out by whites. We call it racism. Yet, too often, excuses are made when such exclusion is carried out by non-whites. Exclusion based on colour is racism. It may be ‘understandable’ (in some cases) but then all racism is ‘understandable’ if you try hard enough. Those who take such a position are, of course, free to be choose racism (unless they’re white).
@jenkinscrowe But there is no white homogeny. There is no “we” between me and you as “whites”, only as humans. We know nothing of each others culture, or the history of each others ancestors. I may be a white Saami reindeer herder & your talk of white “power” & “scripts” & inclusion of me in a “we” that “colonized” & “murdered them” is rendered absurd. There is no white “we” which is “responsible”. The idea is racist. Yes, it’s their choice, but if they exclude because of race, they’re racist.
@Essanach, I admire the sense of equality and justice behind your idea of balance, but there is no balance here. We whites have not relinquished enough power for there to be balance. Flipping the script doesn’t work when the people who have the most power wrote the script. Other cultures have white ways now because we colonized them, killed them, and “converted” them at gunpoint.We become members of another culture when the people of that culture say we are, not after we buy our way in.
@ReneeArnold Um, sweetie, most of us aren’t like that, thank you very much.
Idiots (AKA those people) are. Don’t group me with them just because I’m white.
They look like idiots. They know nothing about how Native Americans really live. They are registered in their tribes. They don’t wake up and play pretend.
I’m white, BTW. These people make me ashamed to be white. Which I’m not, but it sure it embarrassing..
I can see both sides. I think the idea that a person can NEVER become a full member of a culture simply because of the color of their skin is very wrong. This is easily seen by flipping the scenario and imagining any elements of ‘white’ culture or religion being denied to non-whites simply because they are non-white. We know this would be inherently wrong. Think about it. And this works both ways. It must. If not, it’s unjust. There is a balance & I think both whites & natives miss it sometimes.
@ironfisteagleclaw They may well be Shamans because there are many forms of “white” shamanism from Europe. Shamanism isn’t just a Native American thing, by any means. But yeah, if it’s Native American Shamanism they are practicing, then they need to be careful, I agree I don’t think there is anything wrong with this because culture spreads and adapts, you can’t stop it. But they need to be very respectful.
And I could not agree more. Do not get me wrong…I have a deep respect for First Nations Americans, their culture and religion. Perhaps that is reason why I get so angry when I see white people stealing even more from a culture which were never theirs. I live in Scandinavia and I am Asatru…I practise my religion by honouring my God and Godesses, nature and ancestors. Respect for other religions is a part of European paganism. Stop stealing and show some respect to your fellow pagans!
The people in this documentary are just ridiculous, and so incredibly disrespectful. I would say that it makes me ashamed to be white, but these people are total nutjobs and by no means represent what all white people think. I can’t believe that after all Native Americans/First Nations have been put through, people still have the nerve to pull this crap. I really hope the legal action currently being taken against these idiots will start making some headway.
@RaynorX
wht ppl are laughable..there is not much that they do in which I can take serious.
@ReneeArnold unless you’re white yourself, then it can be pretty embarrassing.
when the trees die, when the waters run corrupt and too hot or cold to drink, when land is tumbled about like the sand of a great sand painting then they will know they cannot eat their money..
the name “plastic medicine man” it fit’s so good!
Its sad that they do this. Its so fake, and they get money from lies.
1:40 .. priceless… white pp are tooo friggin funny
It is all right to find your spirituality, but for those that are self-proclaiming shamans/medicine men or women, please be advised, that isn’t a Native American way. True Shamans and medicine people do not tell people who they are, it’s understood and they do not charge a fee for it!
@tfrenn
I think that you are simplifying the subject by making that comment. Obviously race is more complex than the limited constructs that colonization and globalization put us in. And I am talking about the last 1000 years of colonization, including Christian and Islamic genocide as well. My question tfrenn can you be strong in your whiteness, or do you shirk it off because of fear of knowing yourself. Or maybe for these shamans and you there is more oppression and history in your whitestory?
@22brigid
The New Age and Neopagans build their practices from Native American derived traditions so to the extent they do this, the traditions are Native American owned. It is one thing to say that shamanistic practices found throughout the world, but many shamanistic practices are designed with specific communities in mind. They are not tailor made for everybody.These folks doing this could stand to build among shamanic practices within their own communities instead of stealing others.
@tahzwalker
Tahzwalker, you and TheReinhardheydrick hit the nail on the head! It is one thing to respect shamanic traditions, it is another to steal someone else’s version without respect that group, their culture/heritage/trad. etc. w/o their blessings or their perspective.Frankly, it would be more constructive for folks to revive the shamanic traditions from their own backgrounds instead of “appropriating other peoples.
your father gave you a gift you are all him.white people’s genes are weak you probly have a lovely soul.
3:18 you get to know the culture and the people then you will have the tools to respect it properly. Other than that they will only display disrespect and distruction through their ignorance even if they do mean well. White people in the Hopi tradition represent the (fire element) and too many times do to lack of understanding and ignorance that fire instead of being a warm light becomes a caotic distructive fire. Hence destroying whole races of people, believing cattle slavery is ok etc.
although i very much agree with this documentary, what you say is racist!