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Warning about Miguel Angel "Micky" Gallardo in Spain, another exploiter of Lakota spirituality.

"Micky" Gallardo, in his own words, "reproduces copies of native crafts", states to have been director of the "Catalunya Indian Moviment" (sic), and has basically created a complete "native" industry around his alleged association with the Lakota People. He formed what he calls the "Wolf Clan", selling memberships for 50 euros, and where he offers "rural tourism", a crafts store, and all kinds of workshops and courses on arrow shooting, shields, dreamcatchers, and "even the option to participate in an Inipi ceremony", for which he charges 50 euros per person, with discounts depending on the number and age of the attendants (for instance, "children under 15 only pay 20 euros").

And in case that wasn't enough, he also asks his site visitors, "Do you want your own Native Webpage????", and offers the service for only 300 euros. A real bargain, considering he promises to build not just any website, but very specifically a "Native" one.

His shamelessness and lack of respect for true Native traditions are evident. Mr. Gallardo, his activities and his "Wolf Clan" are a very clear example of the motives for writing, distributing, and above all enforcing the Declaration of War Against the Exploiters of Lakota Spirituality, presented by the recognized traditional spiritual leaders, traditional elders, and grassroots advocates of the Lakota people (among which were several legitimate AIM members, by the way), and adopted by the Lakota Nation since July 1993, and which, among other things, denounces people such as Mr. Gallardo, because:

"...pseudo-religious corporations have been formed to charge people money for admission into phony "sweatlodges" and "'vision quest" programs; and;

..non-Indians have organized themselves into imitation "tribes", assigning themselves make-believe Indian names to facilitate their wholesale expropriation and commercialization of our Lakota traditions; and

...our precious Sacred Pipe is being desecrated through the sale of pipestone pipes at flea markets, powwows, and "New Age" retail stores."

Miguel Angel Gallardo has now been duly identified and denounced to the Lakota authorities.

As a result, this past November 30th Mr. Gallardo sent us an email where he boasts about being "linked directly with the AIM directors" and having "express permission to carry out each and every one of our activities." He also threatens us with "legal actions" for "criticizing our work", and for "putting my name on the net without my permission."

It is a pity that, besides ignoring Lakota laws and who is truly linked with whom within the Lakota Nation, evidently Mr. Gallardo is also blatantly ignorant of the rights to freedom of expression.

It is also a shame that both he and his "friends at AIM" ignore other important sections of the mentioned Declaration of War that concerns them directly:

"We especially urge all our Lakota, Dakota and Nakota people to take action to prevent our own people from contributing to and enabling the abuse of our sacred ceremonies and spiritual practices by outsiders. As we all know, there are certain ones among our own people who are prostituting our spiritual ways for their own selfish gain, with no regard for the spiritual well-being of the people as a whole.

We assert a posture of zero-tolerance for any "white man's shaman"' who rises from within our own communities to "authorize"' the expropriation of our ceremonial ways by non-Indians. All such "plastic medicine men" are enemies of the Lakota, Dakota and Nakota people.

LAKOTA SACRED CEREMONIES AND TRADITIONS ARE NOT FOR SALE, MIGUEL ANGEL GALLARDO.