Reflections of a Storyteller, part 9: How Can We Heal Their Hearts and Minds?

zhaawano
Jul 22, 2025
3 min read

Updated: Mar 6

Updated: Onaabani-giizis (Snowcrust Moon)/Ziizbaakdoke-giizis (Sugaring Moon) - March 3, 2026

Boozhoo,

Recently, my email and Facebook accounts have again been flooded with hostile messages from Canadian women of mixed heritage (Ojibwe, Cree, white Canadian) between the ages of 20 and 40, often using self-chosen names ending in "kwe." These emails are quite aggressive in tone and use similar language. I am "under investigation" (do they truly see themselves as the FBI?) for being a "race shifter" (who uses such terms?) and a "pretendian" (there's that word again).

It is evident to me that all of this can be linked back to Crystal Semaganis and her "Ghost Warrior Society." Crystal Semaganis identifies as a "traumatized Sixties Scoop survivor," and her erratic behavior indicates a severe form of cluster B mental health issues, such as histrionic, BPD, NPD, or a combination. She is fervently committed to categorizing individuals—through 'pretendian lists'—based on whether they meet her twisted criteria of being 'Native.'

Lateral violence manifests in many forms and appearances.

Lateral violence is sometimes described as an effort to "feel powerful in a powerless situation." These actions create new power dynamics within colonized groups that mimic those of the colonizers. Attacking others, often due to a distorted sense of identity and to advance a socio-political or self-serving agenda, is a clear example of lateral violence and contradicts the traditional teachings, principles, and values passed down by our ancestors. This wiindigoo behavior, which is a perfect recipe for community cannibalism, stems from a mindset oppressed and manipulated by centuries of colonialism. It is characterized by an extreme form of what could be called SBD: spiritual borderline disorder.

Who are these self-proclaimed gatekeepers and what makes them tick? Gatekeepers are often subtle thieves. Once they achieve the status of gatekeeper, they transform into gatelockers. They impose their own distorted criteria to lock out anyone who doesn't get their stamp of approval.

When I started writing about Native (Anishinaabe) identity around 2011, most of the "kwes" who now publicly attack me were teenagers unaware of their Native heritage. As they began to recognize it, and the conditions became ripe (toxic enough), they reinvented themselves, swiftly transforming from mainstream teenagers to "60s scoopers," and eventually into "cultural gatekeepers." Up until 7 or 8 years ago, people, including traditionals, viewed me as a storyteller and an elder. In 2016, I received a pipe ceremony at Gull Lake, Manitoba from Midewiwin Elders. However, times and people change. Today, I am widely labeled by social media manipulating keyboard ikwes as a "white guy," a culture vulture, a thief, and a "pretendian," accused of being a Norval Morrisseau counterfeiter and a fake medicine man, a swindler who deceives his followers for money. That's quite a contrast...

Where are the community elders to address this harmful behavior? How can we detoxify the minds and hearts of these people?

For further reading, see: Shake Your Rattle in a Good Way