Lakota Nation files lawsuit against parties in sweat lodge incident

Donna says, Skywriter subscriber Mimi Boothby forwarded me this important article from Sedona.biz, “the internet voice of Sedona.”

(c)11-12-09 by Nina Rehfeld

 “SEDONA, AZ (November 12, 2009) – In the aftermath of the tragedy at Angel Valley Retreat Center, where an incompetently conducted “sweat lodge” held by Californian self-help guru James Arthur Ray killed three participants, political steps are being taken by several native people across the United States. While local Indians from Arizona are forming a Council for Indigenous Traditional Healing to reclaim native ceremonies, the Lakota tribe of North and South Dakota has filed a lawsuit against the United States, the state of Arizona, James Arthur Ray and the Angel Valley Retreat Center…

“The Lakota Nation considers its sweat lodge ceremony, the Oinikaga, one of the seven sacred rites of the Lakota. “This is a way of life, not a religion”, said Sam Longblackcat, who introduced the lawsuit to the public at a press conference in Phoenix on November 2^nd.

“The lawsuit refers to the Treaty of Fort Laramie between the United States and the Lakota Nation from 1868, which states that “if bad men among the whites or other people subject to the authority of the United States shall commit any wrong upon the person or the property of the Indians, the United States will (…) proceed at once to cause the offender to be arrested and punished according to the laws of the United States, and also reimburse the injured person for the loss sustained.”

“The plaintiffs hold that James Arthur Ray and the Angel Valley Retreat Center have “violated the peace between the United States and the Lakota Nation” and have caused the “desecration of our Sacred Oinikiga by causing the death of Liz Neuman, Kirby Brown and James Shore”. The lawsuit further holds that James Arthur Ray and the Angel Valley Retreat Center have committed fraud by impersonating Indians and must be held responsible for causing the deaths of the victims and injuries of the survivors, and for the destruction of evidence through the dismantling of the sweat lodge.”   

Read the rest of this powerful statement by Native American spokespeople here: http://www.sedona.biz/lakota-tribe-files-lawsuit-sweat-lodge-incident-sedona111209a.php

You might also like to hear an interview that Michael Lovitch, Cofounder of  The Hypnosis Network, conducted with Cult and Persuasion Expert
Dave Lakhani. Lovitch, in describing the interview says, “Not only is Dave an internationally recognized persuasion and sales expert, he was actually raised in a cult.  Dave is  a former DEA agent who worked undercover in a drug dealing, Satanic Cult in Mexico.  This guy knows his cults!   In the interview, Dave goes through the steps coersive gurus take to break people down. He notes that the people that get sucked in to these things are not stupid, in fact they are usually quite intelligent and well off.  The fact of the matter is that the guys who do this are really that good at modern persuasion.  This is why it is so important that more people understand the nuts and bolts of this stuff.  Knowledge is power.”

You can hear the interview here:   http://exploringthemind.com/how-to-protect-yourself-from-coercive-groups-and-leaders/  That’s a much darker view of Ray’s power over the attendees than I had contemplated, so I’m not sure what I think about it.   Donna