I was involved with 2 different cults based on Native American beliefs. I am Native for those of you who may wonder. I bounced back and forth between these two groups for several years and had to rebuild my life when I finally left both for good. ALL of my friends were in the groups, so I had no friends, no support system whatever. Of course I was shunned and can only go back by pretty much begging and rejecting everything and everyone outside of the groups. It was very difficult, I was very paranoid for a long time and extremely lonely. Basically I was like a tumbleweed, no roots. It took me several years to get my life together enough to where I can honestly say I would never go back.
The first was an Aztec dance group. While on the outside, it seemed we were just a performing group, nothing could be further from the truth. It was a straight up cult. We had a very good looking leader, an Indian man from Mexico whose family had been involved in the spirituality since before the time of Cortez. This man was extremely charismatic and his looks didn’t hurt either. He basically had relations with every female in the group at one time or another and we all basically became his slaves. No one was allowed to date outside of the group and even friendships outside of the group were strongly discouraged. Not that we ever had time for friendships. We had practice 2-3 nights a week and the practices generally lasted for hours, during which time no one was allowed to rest or stop dancing. If we did, we were hit with the drumsticks, which were made from tree branches, thick and hurt a lot! We also had performances pretty much every week. During these, we were not allowed to wear shoes, drink water or rest, regardless of the temperature. The costumes are extremely hot and heavy and we would dance on asphalt or concrete for hours at a time in 100 degree heat. If we were thirsty, we were told to put a rock in our mouth and suck on that. In addition to all of this, we had ceremonies that would last for days. We couldn’t leave during this time. I was a single parent at that time, my daughter was in the group, but my son was not. He was basically left running the streets while all of my time was spent with the group. The group ruled every aspect of our lives. We were told what to eat, how to dress, who we could or couldn’t date, everything.
The second was a very famous native organization. It was pretty much the same, with the group controlling every aspect of our lives. All of our time was spent with other group members, most even lived in the same house. We traveled constantly, together or course, and we were expected to put all of resources, talents, and everything else into the group. Those who didn’t were more or less banned and that could get pretty dangerous. We carried weapons, we were trained to take a bullet for a leader, we were used as bodyguards and every one of us was willing to die for the cause. Leaving this group could cost a person their life and I left under bad circumstances.

It sounds as though you were in a discreet, under-the-radar group. These can be hard to identify, and you're often recruited through a trusted friend or relative. And if you're a member of a travelling group with a hectic schedule structured around frequent rituals/art performances, you're kept busy, tired, and all the constant travelling keeps you dependant on both the group and leader.

Its not uncommon for arts groups to be vulnerable to cultic takeover. There is a group listed on this websites's database. If you read some of the information you may see a few similarities to what you went through.

[culteducation.com]

The members of this group are not Native American but like your group, they target people in the arts and keep members constantly busy on hectic projects and use intimidation and a very scary belief system to enforce fear and make it difficult and traumatic to leave.

Persons trying to connect with their own Native American roots are especially vulnerable, because there are now so many counterfeit shamans and fake medicine people. There's no official way of being credentialled as a shaman or medicine person. If you're checking the credentials for a physician or attorney --its easy. You can check the county medical association or the bar association.

But there's no equivalent way to run a background check on a shaman. And the people making these claims are often so charismatic, that skepticism rapidly becomes unthinkable when we are in their presence..


Unless you're very lucky and have family networks of knowledgable relatives, all too often you're forced to take someone's word for it. And, all too often, these people lie.

Did this guy present any clear proof that he really knew Aztec traditions? Chances are he could cooked something up. Carlos Castaneda was the first one to do this--and he made a ton of money doing it--and inspired others to get in on the act.

Amy Wallace wrote a brilliant, horrifying book about her time as a member of Castaneda's inner circle--it may bear similarities to your group. Like you, she barely escaped with her life. Her book is entitled [i:b73568e569]The Sorcerer's Apprentice:My Life With Carlos Castaneda[/i:b73568e569].

I recommend that you only read it when you have some supportive friends around, because you may find it very upsetting. I got so mad while reading it I nearly threw it across the room.

You're [i:b73568e569]very [/i:b73568e569]fortunate you didnt get sick or incur injury from dehydration (severe, heat related water loss). I was involved in athletic events where people had to be hospitalized for that!

People like your former leader are very, very persuasive. He probably knew that lots of people in your area wanted to study Native American spirituality, and he created a story line and approach best suited to win you over. People like him need followers--they're nothing without them.

Len Oakes describes these people very well in his book [i:b73568e569]Prophetic Charisma[/i:b73568e569]

. And there is a whole thread on commercial shamanism you can read here:

[board.culteducation.com]

These two articles are very good

How to Spot Abusive Spiritual Teachers

[www.resonateview.org]

Considering Having Sex with Your (Priest, Lama,Nagual, Shaman, Therapist)?

[www.resonateview.org]

Again, cogratulations on getting out.

When you recover, you might think of consulting a lawyer then seeing if you can persuade a local newspaper to do a feature story on this group so people will know to beware.

Thanks so much! ALL excellent advice, I'm going over to start reading right now! No, there was never any proof that our leader had actual knowledge. He did speak Nahuatl, the Aztec language as did all of his friends from Mexico that started out in the group with him (they all eventually disappeared to parts unknown). But of course, not knowing Nahuatl from French, none of us ever would have known if he just claimed to! I actually got injured often, mostly sprained ankles. We had to keep dancing through the pain, in the belief that we would reach a higher spiritual state. Now that you mention it, our ceremonies were sometimes scary as was the thought of bad things happening if you practiced any other system. The group is no longer in existance in this area, but I write a bit myself and might very well consider doing a book about it! Thanks for the idea!