When I was a kid, me and my Dad belonged to the YMCA's Indian Guides. We had fake Indian names, and made fake vests and feathered headresses, we met in one of our members' living rooms, sitting on the floor, around a fake fire (made out of some logs, an electric light and some clear red plastic).

The intent was laduable: "fellowship, camping, and community-building activities". But we were fake Indians.

Most real Indians that I ask usually have a lot of contempt for such practices. They have deep respect for their own traditions, and don't normally want it to be cheapened and commercialized.

The ones that I have the closest contact with, tell me that I have my own European traditions, that my people have abandoned centuries ago.

Personally, I think of it as if our ancestral ways destroyed by an explosion. It's as if a car exploded and all we have is some bits and pieces, an owner's manual, pieces of similar cars, and maybe old photographs of the factory where it was built.

We can look to tribal peoples for hints and clues, but most of us do not really belong to these tribes. I love the American Indians and other tribal peoples, and I learn all I can from them, but I refuse to insult their ancient traditions by doing the fake Indian game.

My original tribe, the Papitantrists, started in this way. We looked at what tribal traditions survive from Europe, and we looked at them in a new light from our lessons among the Indians. Although our members are all aging quickly, and we are spread out all over country now, we still stay in touch and remember the tribal traditions that we re-discovered together.