Newer video of Keisha:

YouTube - Little Grandmother Keisha Crowther in Zurich 1 of 2

YouTube - Little Grandmother Keisha Crowther in Zurich 2 of 2

YouTube - Little Grandmother Kiesha Crowther speaks on 2012 November 2010

Tribe of Many Colors or Tribe of Many Dollars? pt 1

Tribe of Many Colors or Tribe of Many Dollars?
By Dr. Al Carroll

Kiesha Crowther AKA “Little Grandmother” has garnered a lot of attention, over a thousand followers, perhaps millions in cash, and even more controversy in less than two years. ...Falsely claiming to be the “shaman” for the “Sioux Salish tribe,” Crowther has gathered an all white, mostly European “Tribe of Many Colors” around her with bizarre claims. Native activists and former followers have vowed to oppose her and expose her.

From Santa Fe to Sweden, Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands, and soon to that most “American Indian” of places, Palm Springs, Kiesha Crowther draws crowds of hundreds with each gathering of ceremony selling, charging from several hundred to up to $6,000 a person. Crowther is a small red haired woman of 33, yet looks young enough to be a teenager. Adding to the strangeness, Crowther calls herself “Little Grandmother” (she is not one) and often talks in a little girl voice with fanciful (and largely false) stories about her childhood.

Crowther mixes in stories of vulnerability with dire prophecies of doom and fantastic claims, none of which are true. She claims to be the “shaman” for the “Sioux Salish tribe.” She claims to be the descendant of famous Lakota and Salish leaders, with a “fullblood Indian mother” and a grandmother supposedly on the reservation. Crowther claims to be made “shaman” by an alleged Salish elder named Falling Feathers. She claims to be recognized by dozens of tribes from New Zealand to United States to the Arctic Circle to Scandinavia to Central America. She claims to have been recognized by Native tribes at as young as age eight and to be the fulfillment of a supposed prophecy about a “fair haired girl.” She even suggests in one video that she is the returned White Buffalo Calf Woman of Lakota prophecy, a claim sure to outrage the Plains Indian tribes that hold the prophecy sacred.

Yet not a single one of these claims are true. Most are extremely obvious lies.

Who Is The Real Kiesha Crowther?

The real Kiesha Crowther was born Kiesha Rae Kreps in Sanford, Colorado, to a white middle class background, with a truck driver father and a mother owning small businesses. Her mother’s maiden name is Rodda. The Salish tribe she claims to have ancestry from do not have a single known person named Crowther, Kreps, or Rodda, either enrolled or known to the small and close knit community. (Most Salish have Irish last names given them by missionaries. A few Salish have traditional names, but none are ever translated into English.) The Salish elders in fact issued a public statement, saying officially she is not their “shaman,” asking her to quit claiming so, and pointing out no Salish had ever even heard of her. Their statement in full is at the end of this article.

Contrary to Crowther/Krep’s claim of a “fullblood Indian” mother and grandmother, there is no evidence of any Native ancestry in her family line. Her family ancestry has been traced back to her great-grandparents from England. Every census form lists all of her ancestors as white. No one else in the family has ever claimed to be or identified as American Indian, including her mother and grandmother. The only Natives in the family are two children (with no relation by blood) adopted by an uncle near Missoula, Montana. Kiesha Crowther’s mother and other family members have in fact urged her repeatedly to quit lying about the family ancestry.

Kiesha Kreps was raised as a Mormon and baptized into the Mormon Church at age eight at the same time she claims to have been recognized by Indian tribes and living alone in the woods. Crowther was married in the Mormon Church in Littleton, Colorado, and was a practicing member of the church only two years ago. She is married with two children, but separated from her husband and estranged from her entire family due to her “calling.”

In fact, absolutely no one in her family backs her claims of Native ancestry or being a “shaman.” A source very close to the family called her a “fraud” and “elaborate liar.” Numerous stories Kiesha Crowther tells at paid ceremonies are described as “lies,” such as claiming to have lived alone in the woods, nursing a dying owl, and being recognized by tribal leaders. The young Kiesha Kreps was actually fairly popular in school and not the lonely isolated kid she claims. Crowther's stranger lies include once giving a "Viking treasure ring" to her sister, who then noted one could see the trademark symbol on it.

The same source close to the family also claims Crowther’s veterinary degree is fake and came from an online degree mill, with the "degree" printed in notebook style paper rather than the stock paper degrees generally come on. It was also confirmed an animal rescue group Crowther claimed to have started is phony. The same source says Crowther plagiarized the poems she claimed to write and largely copied the paintings and other artwork she did.

Even Kiesha Crowther’s online biography as an artist is filled with falsehoods. She claimed to have been awarded Poet of the Year in 2003, 2004, and 2005 in separate cities. The “awards” are given out by the International Society of Poets, a pay to publish outfit that will include you in vanity editions for twenty five dollars each. She claimed her poem “Reach For My Hands” was made into a song by the “Willow Folk Group.” There is no sign of such a group, but there is a Willow Folk Festival in England. She claimed one of her poems was published in a book, “Poems for Peace,” chosen by former First Lady Laura Bush. There is no sign of the book nor of Laura Bush’s involvement, unless one counts her refusing to show up at a gathering of poets reciting poems opposed to the Iraq War. Crowther’s bio also claims she was “awarded the Life Experience Bachelors and holds a Masters Degree of Art from Almeda University.” Almeda University is an unaccredited online degree mill. In a 2004 expose by CBS News, a reporter successfully got his dog awarded a degree from Almeda.

How It All Began For a Would Be Shaman

Kiesha Crowther/Krep’s claims of how she became a “shaman” have changed rapidly and dramatically in less than two years since she began. In April of 2010, Crowther made the claim she originally had gotten a phone call from a group of all the Salish elders who told her she was the “fair haired child of prophecy” and they had a sacred bundle waiting for her made centuries ago.

But in June of 2010, that account changed. She claims instead an unnamed “Sioux man” made her a shaman.

That same month, Crowther also claimed she was made shaman by a group of “grandmothers” of both the Salish and “Sioux” tribes.

(Note for non-Native people: Natives generally don’t refer to the “Sioux” since this is an outdated outsider’s term. The actual tribes are called the Dakota, Lakota, and Nakoda, often called collectively the Lakota. There are dozens of Lakota bands at reservations and reserves. The Salish is an entirely different people and culture.)

In December 2010, Crowther’s story changed dramatically. No longer was there any mention of groups of women elders, nor of “Sioux men.” Instead she now claims there was a single Salish elder she calls Falling Feathers who made her “shaman for the Sioux and Salish tribes.”

There is no evidence at all that Falling Feathers ever existed, other than Crowther’s claims. Crowther claims he was an important elder, so widely known she assumed he was speaking for all Salish elders. The Salish elders have never heard of him and neither have any other Salish contacted for this article. His alleged name does not fit typical Salish names, which are either Irish or traditional Salish names not translated into English.

Conveniently, Crowther claims Falling Feathers recently died. There is no mention on tribal sites of a prominent elder dying recently. Crowther’s supporter, manager, and longtime friend Jennifer Ferraro also claims Falling Feathers was a member of the “governing council” for the “Confederated Sioux Salish.” Neither of those exists, but there is a tribal council for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai. The Lakota bands and tribes, as mentioned before, are spread across over two dozen reservations and reserves..........

Tribe of Many Colors or Tribe of Many Dollars? - pt 2

...........Only a few days after her December statement, Crowther changed her story in the most drastic way yet. She now claims to have never been teaching Native ways at all. This despite dressing up in American Indian regalia (though it was a shirt only worn by Native males), using what she seems to have believed was American Indian face paint, using what she claims was a Native pipe, and claiming her initiation came from Native elders, or alternately, a single Native elder who has passed away no one else ever heard of.

Crowther has also continually claimed the endorsement of numerous indigenous elders and other religious leaders, without evidence. Many of those she claims are Native elders actually are imposters.

She claims the endorsement of Cherokee elders. None of the traditional Cherokee elders in the Eastern Band ever heard of her.

She claims to have been recognized as a shaman by “lamas of Nepal and Tibet.” There are hundreds of such Buddhist teachers, but the only one she ever named was Lakha Lama, whom she met in Sweden. Lakha Lama gave her a blessing when Crowther asked for one, but this is neither an endorsement nor recognition, only kind words. Buddhist lamas, like American Indian traditionalists, also condemn teaching for a fee, especially very high fees as Crowther does.

Crowther also for a time claimed Sammi elders in Sweden authorized and endorsed her. Then her claim was removed from her websites. She further claimed Inuit elders gave her a crystal “from the North Pole” and that she was “giving the crystal back to the Sammi” when she buried the crystal in Sweden. There is no land, only ice at the North Pole. Crystals do not form in ice, only in land. Geologists consulted for this story say it likely is an ordinary crystal bought in a shop for less than 200 dollars, one dug up by strip mining.

On one of her visits to Sweden she claimed all Native tribes recognized and endorsed her, and that she was shaman for all of them. Since there are over 500 tribes in the US alone, the absurdity of this claim is obvious.

More recently, Crowther also claimed she was made shaman by a “Sioux” named Grandmother Lota or Lootha. Crowther also claims to be related to “Sioux” she calls Ciqalah Lotah and Ciqala Jensen. Fluent Lakota speakers we spoke to pointed out those words do not exist in the Lakota language. No one in any of the Lakota communities we contacted ever heard of Crowther or the people she claims to be related to or authorized her.

Crowther also claims the endorsement of Don Alejandro Cirilo Perez, sometimes called Wandering Wolf. Perez is a Mayan leader who appears on a number of New Age sites. However, there is no evidence of Perez ever endorsing Crowther. Perez is actually on record as strongly disagreeing and even mocking the claims of Crowther and other that the world will end in 2012. The maker of a documentary on Perez and Crowther denounced in fierce terms the “exploitation” of Perez by New Agers such as Crowther.

Crowther also is an associate of and claims the endorsement of two imposters who falsely claim to be Native elders, Adam DeArmon, a white New Age operator in Sedona, and John Kimmey, a white New Ager barred from the Hopi reservation and condemned by Hopi spiritual leaders for selling ceremony and making false claims.

The (All White) Tribe of Many Colors

Why would a self styled “shaman” who spent most of two years claiming Native elders authorized her suddenly claims to have never been doing Native teachings? Numerous family and friends of Crowther’s followers, as well as former followers, began to ask Native activists about the authenticity of her claims. By September of 2010, the chorus of criticism began to rise and put Crowther and her management on the defensive.

Crowther’s following she dubbed the Tribe of Many Colors has some striking characteristics. It has absolutely no Native members at all (including Crowther.) Outside of a member of Crowther’s management team, all seem to be exclusively white. Much like the Tea Party, they are also prone to throwing around the claim that they are hated supposedly for being white.

Such a claim falls apart because many of her critics are themselves white, especially former followers. The claim is even more striking because of the racism in some of the imagery and words used by Crowther and her “tribe.” In one trip to Sweden, Crowther spoke about the alleged superiority of Swedish people over all others. Crowther frequently claims all Native elders, or even all Native people, are supporting her, waiting for her, and depend upon her and her message even for their very survival. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth. Most Natives never heard of her. Those that have are strongly opposed to her.

Who is behind Crowther’s rapid rise among New Age leaders? Our source very close to the family says Crowther has no computer skills nor business or organizing acumen, nothing that could account for her success except a vivid imagination. The same source attributes everything Crowther has done to two people and one group; Adam DeArmon AKA Adam Yellowbird, a white New Age operator in Sedona; Santa Fe Soul, which sponsors some of Crowther’s talks; and especially Crowther’s longtime friend Jennifer Ferraro. Our source described Fierro as a failed performance artist who claims to be Native but is actually Italian and Greek. Online discussions between Crowther and Ferraro seem to show Ferraro as the real brains of the operation, the power behind the throne, her manager, website operator, and even her director. Crowther defers to her in public talks, and Ferraro frequently talks in one messages to Crowther like a mother to a small child.

Our source close to the family is worried the Tribe of Many Colors will "become another Jonestown" and is at a loss for how her family can get her to see sense. Whether the “tribe” self destruct violently is yet to be seen, but they are extraordinarily intolerant of dissent or criticism of any kind. Its website was heavily censored, with any daring to question Crowther kicked out. Recently their website was so overwhelmed by dealing with criticism it was taken down entirely. Crowther’s inner circle, especially Ferraro, have begun throwing around legal threats at any who dare to critique Crowther. Ferraro, though she is not a lawyer, sent threats to sue to at least five people. The “tribe” also sent infiltrators to sites critical to Crowther to gather information on critics.

There are currently plans for a book by Crowther, and two documentaries, one favorable to her and one critical. There are also ongoing plans for protests of Crowther’s ceremony selling by Native activists and her many non-Native critics. The Salish tribal council is considering legal action. The controversy is not going away.

Dr. Al Carroll is a historian, professor, former Fulbright Scholar, and activist for Native causes. His first book is Medicine Bags and Dog Tags: American Indian Veterans From Colonial Times to the Second Iraq War from University of Nebraska Press.

Research for this article includes contributions by numerous activists, former followers, Sky Davis and T. Tavares, and a source very close to the Crowther family. Annika Banfeld translated articles and radio interviews from Swedish to English.

Statement of the Salish Elders:

"The Culture and Elders Committee of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation protect the intangible cultural resources of the tribes including language, songs, stories etc.

"No tribal Elders or elders have met with nor do they condone the claims and actions made by Kiesha Crowther.

"She is not their 'shaman', she has no right to claim this title and the Elders and elders of CSKT of the Flathead Reservation would like her to cease and desist immediately from making such false claims that erode the traditions that members of the CSKT Culture and Elders Committee are trying to preserve."

The posting of this statement came with the permission and urging of the Salish elders. Anyone doubting this message's authenticity can contact the Flathead Reservation.

Yeah she's gotten some hard core attackers right now - seems to be ever since she talked about certain signs that the globe is warming like too many jellyfish in the ocean around China (they only mate at certain temperatures).

There are certain things from the quote posted above that are obviously not true from what I've seen.

Her message is love and acceptance of all.

You can see her addressing the attacks here:

Official Statement Regarding Native American Issues

12/26/2010

Kiesha, whose maternal family lives on the Flathead Reservation in Montana, was initiated into shamanism at age 30 by a Native American man named Falling Feathers. She was told that the “elders of the tribe had been watching her” since she was a child and that it was time for her to step into her role as shaman. Falling Feathers personally guided Kiesha’s initiation and taught her how to conduct ceremony, how to pray in traditional ways with the chanupa, how to pray while in inipi and he conferred upon her the name “Little Grandmother”.

She could only imagine him to be a tribal authority. He seemed to speak for the tribe—and most likely was responsible for referring several tribal members and families to her for blessings and healings in the year after her initiation. For example, this past year, when one elderly woman on the Flathead Reservation died at the hospital and no family could be located, Kiesha was called. Her name was given by an official as a recognized spiritual representative of the tribe. Though she was not raised on the reservation, Kiesha had every reason to accept and believe her status as “shaman” came with tribal recognition.

Recently, Kiesha called the tribal council office to inquire about her official standing in the tribe. She was surprised to hear that Falling Feathers had not acted with the permission of the tribal council and therefore could not necessarily convey tribal authority.

Kiesha had no reason to doubt that her initiation came with full authority and recognition. For that reason and because tribal members were referred to her as shaman in the first year of her initiation, she spoke in her first talks of being made a “shaman for the Sioux and Salish” people.

Since her initiation as shaman, Kiesha received medicine and sacred implements from members of several indigenous tribes from around the world who were guided to create medicine for the one called “Little Grandmother.” Somehow these people knew who she was. Some said they had been waiting for her for many years to come, and knew of her from visions they’d received.

Today Kiesha’s work and wisdom is directed by her spirit guides, ancestors, living elders, spirit guides from the South American people and Great Spirit. Her intent is to remain true to the universal nature of the message she has been asked to share while clearly not representing any Native American people or traditions. Kiesha continues public speaking and healing ceremonies as requested for the benefit of Mother Earth. And, despite her heritage, she will conduct all work without Native American regalia, Native American sacred implements or specific rituals.

Her sincere hope is to honor the global nature of the work she has been asked to do while, to the extent possible, preventing misunderstandings among any tribal members.

With deep respect for indigenous people and their wisdom, she will continue to perform the sacred work to which she is called, making it clear that she is representing no one but herself and her own guidance from Spirit.

While she is a human being who no doubt makes mistakes, Kiesha never “wanted” to be a shaman, and did not even know what the word meant before being initiated. What she is here to do on this planet at this time is clear. Also clear to anyone who has done ceremony with her, worked with her in a healing session or has heard her speak from her heart about matters of truth, is the fact that Spirit is working with and through her.

Kiesha’s deepest wish is that we work together for the good of Mother Earth, see beyond our differences, and move forward in shifting the consciousness on the planet from Ego and Mind to Love.

OFFICIAL STATEMENT

I feel she is genuine.

Charlatan

Hey folks! I saw this thread, and as I am a member of AIM, I thought I would put this up here.

Aim Santa BarbaraFebruary 22, 2011 at 6:56pm
Subject: Say No to the exploitation of our Spirituality! Palm Springs, CA 2/26
Can't make it? too far! but wait! you CAN still PARTICIPATE!

You Can ANNOY THE HECK OUT OF THEM!
and sign the petition!

http://www.facebook.com/l/df554ERrLi...legrandmother/


Here are some OPTIONS!
1) Call the Palm Springs Convention Center’s
Executive Director,
James Canfield at his direct number: 760-322-8400.

2) Please email the Executive Director, and Division Directors at the Convention Center, as well as copying William Dean, the Editor of The Desert Sun (you may copy and paste email addresses, and suggested body of letter below to simplify):

TO: jcanfield@palmspringscc.com; rleson@palmspringscc.com; dcarozza@palmspringscc.com; mminer@palmspringscc.com; ltoles@palmspringscc.com; mginther@palmsprings.org

CC: william.dean@thedesertsun.com

Copy and paste below!


Kiesha Crowther AKA Little Grandmother has greatly offended
the indigenous nations of this continent, who value our spirituality as the
core of our existence. You have twisted and perverted the spiritual beliefs and
practices that enable us to cope with colonization, oppression and the post -traumatic stress of surviving centuries of cultural and
spiritual genocide.

WHEREAS: You have displayed outrageous arrogance by
making yourself a god in an oppressed people’s religion.

WHEREAS: Your entire identity is based on lies,
deception and misrepresentation.

Whereas: You have demonized Native Americans who
object to your sacrilege of their spiritual beliefs by calling them toxic, dark
and cold and you have attacked them using the tactics that lack integrity.

Whereas: You have repeatedly misrepresented facts about
indigenous prophesies and spiritual practices either intentionally or negligently
promoting falsehoods about the true nature of our prophesies.

Whereas: You have intentionally misrepresented
essential facts about who you really are.

Whereas: You have refused to accept constructive criticism from indigenous leaders and activists,
you have refused to meet with them to discuss their grievances and have
demonized them and suppressed their free speech rights.

Whereas: You have interfered with indigenous people’s
inherent right to practice and preserve their spiritual practices for the sole
purpose of marketing them for profit.

Whereas: You have violated the human rights of your followers
by manipulating them into neutralizing all sources of criticism in order to keep
them dependent on you.

We, the
true indigenous peoples of Turtle Island are making the following demands:

Keisha
Crowther must:

Stop wearing a medicine bag around her neck.

Stop wearing men’s buckskin.

Stop claiming to have any knowledge about ancient indigenous
beliefs.

Stop claiming to represent any indigenous people in any way,
shape or form.

Stop using native styled drums in her self-styled ceremonies.

Stop using white courts to harass, threaten and censor
Native American activists and our allies.

Appear in TRIBAL COURT to account for your crimes against
Native People.

Stop conducting
self-styled sweat lodges, vision quests and pipe ceremonies.

Stop claiming the there are any Native prophesies about a
fair haired girl coming to lead indigenous people.

Stop any association with yourself and White Buffalo Calf Woman.

Publically apologize for lying and manipulating your
followers at all workshops and retreats and return all of their money if
requested to do so.

Locate and take down all videos where you appear in
buckskin, with Native styled drums or shields or conducting pipe or medicine
wheel ceremonies.

Make a video sincerely apologizing for the wrong you have
done Native people and post is on YouTube for all to see.

Dissolve the tribe of many colors and provide a licensed,
qualified cult exit counselor for any of its members that are still trying to “live from the heart” NO COST to them.

Kiesha Crowther will not be right with the indigenous people
of Turtle Island until she makes amends for her offenses and accepts responsibility
for her deceptions. Only if you start being honest with yourself, your
followers and the indigenous people of this land will you begin to heal the damage that you done.

I would think that the nations in question would have a better idea who their elders are than she would. Her lies have been exposed, yet you still believe her just because she is spouting a "feel good crystals and unicorns and reiki, oh my" ideology. Willfull ignorance! go ahead! Bury your head in the sand, and keep getting fleeced! cling to your new-age sewage!

She is a human and has the right to creative expression.

She is doing nothing harmful and a ton of good.

She does have Native American blood.

She has her own relationship with the animal kingdom.

Those of the light recognize her spiritual beauty.

She has a LOT of "elders" in all kinds of native traditions all over the world in close touch helping her, guiding her, and sending her spiritual tools they have been keeping for her for ages because they recognize her light.

She is misrepresenting the nations she is wrongfully claiming affiliation with, and her family is non-native on both sides! The information is available if you choose to actually look it up. Obviously, you would rather buy into her pipe dreams and b.s. because it makes you feel good. She is duping lots of people! If she had her own thing going on, that would be one thing(I would just think she was another new age crackpot), but she is trying to ride on the coattails of a spirituality that has thousands of years of history and tradition, and she is grossly misrepresenting it! The real elders of the nation she is claiming know what they are talking about! She definitely doesn't, and is making this crap up as she goes! Do some objective research on this charlatan! She is offending the indigenous nations of the Americas and their ancestors! She should be called out on such an offense!

I'm sorry I don't know you and her info is public so I believe her regarding her ethnicity more than you.

However even if that were the case, why aren't you offended by other people who have dream catchers, perform ceremonies of their own spiritual choosing which may involve traditions from other cultures who do not have "your" approval - whatever that is - etc?

It isn't "my" approval that is in question here, it is the elders of the nations she is misrepresenting whose disapproval counts. They are the ones who would know exactly what their real traditions are, and she is very obviously making up her own as she goes, and presenting it as the traditions of said nations. This is definitely something most people would call peddling lies! It is disrespectful and patently wrong!
As far as "dream catchers", and people who practice their own brand of spirituality, that is their business. What is wrong with what she is doing is that she is presenting her own made-up religion as if it were the actual religion of the Salish people and the Lakota people. She is using this as something to fuel her cult of personality, and to fleece the clueless for money!
Oh, and by the way, although I am not of the Salish or Lakota people, I am of American Indian descent, and I am very offended by people who do this type of thing! I suggest you take a truly objective look at this person, and by that I mean read some information from both sides of the argument while trying to put yourself in the shoes of the people whose culture she is blatantly exploiting!
And, yes, her information IS public: the information that her and her manager (a shaman with a manager? Give me a break!) have posted themselves!

I find her very valuable and am sorry this troubles you so much.

Again I don't know you and I see her spiritual beauty and I really can't see yours sorry.

I'm not going to stop appreciating her because you told me to.

Have a great day

For a new member here, you are acting rather agressively.

You are entitled to your opinion and we are entitled to ours.

If you only joined this site to bash someone, you have wasted your time.