Submitted by Isnala Wicasa, Jul 21, 2007 02:26

Harold Thompson is a member of the Sicangu Lakota Oyate, or the burnt thigh band of the Lakota people. He is a cerimonial singer and fluent lakota speaker. He started off as a singer for Elmer or Norbert Running, who is a real loakota medicine man. Harold was with one of Elmer's daughters, Evangeline Running, and had a daughter with her who's name is Paula. He is no longer with Evangeline, but is with a white woman named Alva who is from England, and like the other article says, yes she does run "White Horse Herbs and Trading Post" in Mission, SD. He was never givin an alter by the spirits and is not a real medicine man, but does know the language, songs, and knows the PHYSICAL steps to ceremonies such as the Lowanpi, Sun Dance, and Vision Quest. These physical steps, however, carry no real spiritual power if the individual doing the steps isn't someone who was givin an alter by the spirits. Additionally, he is not, nor has he ever been a cheif of the Sicangu people. He learned all of these ceremonies and all of his herbs by offering his help at ceremonies, and to gather herbs for a real medicine man. I really feel bad for him and his family, because AT ONE TIME IN HIS LIFE HE REALLY WAS HELPING AND SINGING WITH A GOOD HEART, but now the greed for money has gotten a hold of him. This greed is the same greed that is to blame for all humans in this world living out of balance. There are certain political and economic systems that took hold in Europe that promote greed within men. First europeans colonized themselves into this system, and later colonized the entire world into similar systems that promote greed. Now ALL people in this world are in systems that promote greed. What we need is to cultivate selflessness, rather then selfishness. The environment today is in bad shape because of the various industries we have that generate profit for different groups of people. Today many of our people live in poor and despirate situations, and feel like they get no respect and have no place in this world. Because of the recent interest in Native American (or other indigenous peoples) ways amoung many non-indian people, SELLING OUR SACRED WAYS HAS LITERALLY BECOME ANOTHER INDUSTRY. Many of our own people (even from traditional and respected homes) commodify our sacred ways because they feel that it is one of the few ways that they can get some easy money and respect from non-indians. When you add to this the fact that so many of our people are weakend by addictions to alcohol, you end up with our current situation. "White Horse Herbs and Trading Post" is continuosly exploiting those among my people who are desperate by buying things such as expensive and beautiful beadwork, or the recording of Lakota songs, for almost nothing. They turn around and sell these things for many times over what they buy them for. Not only this, but the owner of the trading post is a white man from Rapid City, SD who is a millionaire. So here they are ripping off poor indians, taking valuable resources from a place that has very little economic opportunity, and selling these articles for extremely high prices to primarily non-indian tourists, and to top it off, the revenue generated does not stay in the community where it could be circulated to boost economic desparity, but is being taken off the reservation and being put into the hands of a wealthy white man. Again this is all done for money. In closing I would like to remind all of us, regaurdless of who, or what color we are, to cultivate within ourselves selflessness, or compassion toward one another, in an effort to rid ourselves of the selfish and greedy desires that our society promotes. We indians need to pick up our ways so that they are turned into a commodity and lost forever. And for all of my non-indian freinds who are being taken advantage of by the many fake medicine people out there, I will pray that you can find some other way to sooth your spirit so that you aren't being taken advantage of. I would like to encourage you to use intenal methods of soothing such as meditation, as i really beleive that if we have internal peace we are better able to stand up against all of the ills of todays modern systems.

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