In Capricornian Tales, it has an Indian routine. I am not Indian nor do I look so. Will people of the "Native American" background be offended If I do effects like this? Also what are some good books on Indian type Magic??
Most magically Yours,
WR

WR,
Somebody, somewhere will be offended these days if you say "hello" to them!
Don't worry about it.
The majority of aboriginal people won't be offended by such a magic theme(they might be more offended if you call them "Indians").
As for aboriginal routines, check out The Beckoning Cold One in Gene Poinc's wonderful book, The Practitioner: Journeys into Grey.
cheers,
Peter Marucci
showtimecol@aol.com

As always Peter...Thank you!
Most magicall yours,
WR

I do have Gene's book on order and I am sending some suger free choc chip cookies too.

Hmmm... in my neck of the woods, it seems that the majority of "Native Americans" call themselves 'Indians' (and don't mind if us non-aboriginal people do the same).

As for routines based on Indian themes, my advice is that as long as you approach a routine with reverence and a good understanding of the culture, you should have no problem.

And remember, Indians are comprised of many different 'nations' with distinct cultural differences between them. Be sure to do your homework thoroughly!

If you need to, you can always say that you are 'part' Native American. For instance, I have/had been lead to believe that (on my mothers mothers side of the family)there is some connection to the Cherokee culture.

Then after some recent research, I found that a lot of people CLAIM to be part Cherokee, but really aren't. But really, I *could* be.

I was born and raised in America, as was my mom, and her mom. So wouldn't I be a native American?

In doing my genology I found and Indian lady, mary sunday, in our line. She was arapaho (Sorry for the bad spelling) I look nothing like an Indian I am white skinned and harry as all get out. I could use her in the effects...
Most magically yours,
WR

You really do need to do some footwork on this. Aside from the fact that your material must be "tasteful" and Politically Correct, the "respect" thing is paramount. I know in some parts of the country, such as here in Ohio, if you sell Native American items it better be what you claim it is and not cheap "overseas" knock offs. Too, if you say something is of the Cherokee but the bead work is obviously Shawnee, fasten your seat belts... sooner or later someone from the trible counsel will get their feathers up and nail you... well, at least point out the "insult" you have made.

Just use some common sense and if yuo are going to add extra items to the routine to make it more "authentic" do your research and refer to each thing appropriately... also know the lore and spiritual significance around each item. For an example, whites love to collect Arrowheads for "luck"... most Native Americans see them as a dark omen of some sort... some claim that items of this kind steal the soul of all they kill (think about it... there's potential for something here... )

Well, it's just my two cents worth.

Good point. I am very Versed in the Sioux tribe.
Most magically yours,
WR

If you perform routines that are based on sincere respect for their subject, be it nationality, religeous belief, or other, you will gain the respect of those who are followers of the topic.

If you have access to the peoples of whom you wish to portray, you could bring the rough routine to them for their input. You will likely not only gain their respect and the respect of their people, but you will also likely tap into an amazing wealth of presentational resource for your routine. When you show the respect and care to ask about people they are usually most forthcoming with background information and history.

A very real outcome of storytelling is the humanization of that which we don't know or understand. Magic that tells a story like that has a very profound effect on audiences.

I'm familiar with a West Coast magician who is a walking anachronism. He wears old-style beadwork and a hair-pipe breastplate (with a powderblue tails jacket). While telling "tales" of the Lakota tribe, he proceeds to do a "Professor's Nightmare" or Equal/Unequal rope routine. Instead of rope, however, he uses chromed dog choke chains. I have no idea what the chains have to do with the rest of it. The name will be held to protect this "intriguing" identity. If you have seen this act, no further comment is necessary.

My anecdote is not meant as an attack, but to illustrate that whatever character you choose, especially when in comes to ethnic or historic personas, you'd better get things straight, or people become sensitive and angry in a hurry. Or like me, maybe they just become more bewildered.

When the world was a big place, about 70 years ago, it was very mysterious to do a chinese act. There are still people doing chinese acts and in this 'day of political enlightenment' I'm sure that someone would take offense. I would love to see a chinese person turn the tables do an aussie act.

Perhaps the routine could be changed to fit a theme around Iban tribesmen (from the island of Borneo) or a Nepalese people or just about anyone that is as far and foreign as possible. You may still find someone, somewhere down the track that will not like it but there is a limit to the lengths that entertainment can take.

There are probably Druids that are offended by magic as entertainment!

I hope that my dead grandfather isn't offended when I call his spirit to help me complete an effect.

Be considerate of peoples feelings and give them a good story and I don't think you'll have much problems.

cheers
Maynooth

WR,
I came across this discussion a bit late, but have a couple of thoughts to add to the discussion.

If you have access to a good university library, a source on conjuring in Native American societies you might consult is A. Irving Hallowell's The Role of Conjuring in Saulteaux Society (1942 I think). LeJeune's description of the "Shaking Tent," and other shamanic feats can be found in Volume 12 of the Jesuit Relations (available online
Here!
A bit of research into sources on shamanism would no doubt turn up many useful citations.

As far as a Bizarre angle, on the subject goes, I've long been interested in the resemblence between Anglo dark-room seances of the nineteenth century and Native ceremonies like the shaking tent, first described in the mid seventeenth century (1637), and also the Lakota Yuwipi ceremony, which is a present day practice. Not sure what cross-cultural influences might be at work, if any. I've also read that there was a period during which Indian spirit guides were very popular among the early spirit mediums.

I can't advise on performance---I'm a complete novice in that area--but as a cultural anthropologist who teaches in a Native studies program and associates with Native colleagues and students on a daily basis, my experience is that almost any presentation of native culture and especially spirituality by non-Indians is likely to be viewed as inappropriate at some level. Mentioning an ancestor who might have been Indian probably makes things worse in this regard. I've seen even card-carrying members of the Cherokee Nation get teased at Native gatherings because of the number of white people who claim to have a "Cherokee princess" in their family tree.

All this is not to say I think it would be impossible to come up with a respectful way to incorporate Native themes into a performance. Tom Cutts' response strikes me as outlining the proper approach. It is more-or-less how I approach my anthropological research, and if it works for an anthro, it should work even better for a non-anthro (Anthropologists epitomize white appropriation of Indian culture for many Native people). You might also see if you can view the videos "White Shamans and Plastic medicine Men" (on New Age appropriations of Native religion) and "In Whose Honor?" (on Native Mascots) to familiarize yourself with some of the basic issues. Native people are obviously not a monolithic group, and there are various stances on "cultural appropriation," but these videos are generally well regarded by most of the people with whom I've discussed these issues.

best of luck,
Grant

>There are probably Druids that are offended by magic as entertainment! <

Nah! Most of us are at least into magic as a hobby... several come into the status of semi-pro or pro.

Like the saying goes, "We Are Everywhere!"

What the Druid's & Wiccan types loath however, is wrongful representation. I know of a performer who is admittedly a "Witch" and yet, when he did a routine depicting the classic old hag type witch of storybook fame, he got some serious hate mail from within said community... then again, they complained about the movie "Hocus Pocus" too... which I personally found to be a great family flick.

As Harry Truman once said... it matters not what you're cook'n, someone is bound to complain.