Ceremonies & Teachings: The Price of Those

I do not hold Traditional Beliefs but I firmly believe in respect and diversity. I have been an Urban First Nation my whole life and every time I have attempted to learn my ancestral language or traditions I have been discouraged by those holding the knowledge and skills. When asking for clarification on Traditions I have been accused of criticism and told that I just don’t understand. I have been denied the right and choice of individual self-determination.

I see parallels between “corporate elders” and the TV Evangelists of the 80s and 90s. The Evangelists offered prayers at a price and presently so do some “elders.” I am not going to publicly disclose the few that I have met and I am not going to paint all elders with the same brush. I have met many dynamic, loving, caring and wise elders who serve the people who are interested in living a Traditional clean lifestyle.

What is a corporate elder? A corporate elder is an elder who is motivated by money, prestige and power. They may have had pure hearts and intentions when they first began their spiritual journey but somewhere along the way servitude was replaced with entitlement, and love of the people was replaced with greed and love of money. How can this type of “elder” help our Nations? The answer is obvious - they can’t. And if you aren’t part of the solution then you are a part of the problem.

All good leaders whether secular or spiritual serve their supporters/believers. When the intention of the leaders is for monetary gain, prestige and/or power then they begin to damage those same supporters/believers they were initially trying to help. A great speaker may go far but eventually their actions speak for them. The “elder” who requires high honourariums before even entertaining the thought of ministering to people who are seeking their services begin to look a lot like the other religious leaders of the world. These “corporate elders” are withholding the Creator for a price.

I am older now than the shushed up youth I used to be and can say that when something stinks it stinks. When I catch glimpses of ugly truth I am able to acknowledge it for what it is – disappointment. What I recently witnessed was a believer who believed so hard and true in a (corporate) elder that when that “elder’s” true nature was revealed the believer’s heart was broken. The damage that “elder” caused was palpable. You could taste the believer’s pain. What if that had been the last straw? What if the now non-believer had committed suicide in response? Those “elders” would be blood guilty and responsible to the Creator for taking that life. Their actions have the ability to impact people because when anyone seeks spiritual help they are already in a vulnerable state and the outcome could be physical and/or spiritual death.

A youth worker recently told me that the youth are requesting elder interactions with more regularity. They noticed the influence immediately. No longer did the youth volunteer without a payment or honorarium. The youth who used to be happy to pitch in and help a neighbour or a community had become sullen and were refusing unless they were paid. Is this the intended goal? Do we want selfish greedy youth who only help when they are being paid?

The answer is no. So, do we want selfish greedy “elders” who only help when they are being paid? I hope the answer to that question is also a resounding no.

A selfless, dynamic and wise elder can do immeasurable good and the selfish greedy ones do immeasurable evil.

I hope that policies can be developed which will encourage proper use of the gifts the Creator gave and which will discourage their misuse. I don’t think it’s wrong to be compensated for peoples’ time, expenses and expertise with a reasonable, respectful and realistic amount. Do you know how much money elders are currently ‘honoured’ with? Believe me it is plenty and it more than compensates for their time and expenses. But if you can’t afford to pay, is it ok to withhold those teachings, and by extension, the Creator? When one “elder” was unable to receive his usual amount… he canceled. Sad.

A wonderfully insightful elder I recently met explained that “those” kind of elders have crossed a line. I hope that line can be crossed again where they receive healing, truth and redemption.

We as a Nation keep this issue quiet. It is shameful and embarrassing. In some cases, we have been conned for years! But if we keep our silence we essentially protect them. If we keep our silence we are essentially giving them our permission to continue. We whisper and talk behind closed doors but those doors need to be kicked down. It is easier and comfortable not to talk about such issues but then we risk the danger of those damaging “elders” hurting other people. Please don’t kid yourself about the seriousness of these actions. These corporate elders who make their livelihood by excessively charging for their services (honorariums) are killing spirits and lives, young and old.

SEVEN has chosen to keep this woman’s identity anonymous because the issue she speaks of is not specific to one area. SEVEN is also aware the practice of honorariums has become an area of concern for many, and prefers that the issue rather than the speaker be the focus of the story so that, hopefully, this issue can now be discussed openly.