Native Americans pwn Burning Man hippies!

There was supposed to be a "private" Burner party last Saturday night at the Bordello in Oakland, complete with three hundred guests, twenty DJs spinning thumping techno and bass, dancers, a fashion show, micro-massages, raw food, an absinthe bar, and coconuts. Instead, the event ended in tears....

...The strange saga all began in early February when Visionary Village — a loose group of artists and other young people who enjoy the annual Burning Man arts festival in Nevada — began routine publicity for a Burning Man-style "private event" at the Bordello on E. 12 Street in Oakland. The online flyer circulated on Tribe.net read: "GO NATIVE" in an Old West font set against a desert sun, and the dance party was advertised as a "fundraiser for the Native American Church." Native-rights activists got wind of it and publicized additional text from the VisionaryVillage.org web site indicating four "elemental rooms" would be themed: "Water: Island Natives (Maori); Air: Cliff Natives (Anasazi); Earth: Jungle Natives (Shipibo); Fire: Desert Natives (Pueblo)." Ravers were offered a discount off the $20 door fee "if you show up in Native costume," and the money would fund "neurofeedback research demonstrating causality between medicinal use [of peyote], improved brainwave patterns, and heightened mirror neuron activity in users." The 140-year-old Bordello property abuts Interstate 880 and an ancient Ohlone Indian site dated to the 12th century B.C., which was also promoted.
 
Complete Article HERE

I have a lot of mixed feelings about the Burning Man. While it does sound like a damn fun party, I find the whole thing kinda creepy. A bunch of rich, city dwelling, college kids going out to the desert to have a big party while claiming that it will "leave no trace" strikes my inner Boy Scout as absurd. The site is visible on Google Earth and it's kinda obvious that they have left a trace and the micro-ecosystem directly under the surface will never recover.

But now it seems they have gone and pissed off a large number of Indians (Before any one gets all pissy about using the term indians, let me state that my wife is cherokee and the trail of tears was sending Indians across the country, Wounded Knee was the last battle of the Indian Wars, all the bad things done to these people were done to "Indians" not "Native Americans and to change what you call them now is insulting to the ancestors of the Indians, who lived, suffered and died being called Indians. I know many people who claim Indian Heritage and all of them refuse to use the phrase "Native American" Also, in 1492 the subcontinent of India was known as Hindustan, not India) The way these neo-hippiuies mixed and matched Indian cultures with wanting to have fun on peyote while listening to techno in a bordello (that borders "Sacred" Indian land) and claiming it is in "Honor" of the "Native Americans" kinda makes my head hurt. The arrogance of humans never ceases to astound me.

The lame excuse the burners came up with saying that they meant dressing up like pop culture icons and cartoon characters when they said "Go Native" and "native costuming" strikes me as the absolute worst cop-out they could have come up with. Did they really expect the Indians to believe them?

But in the article, one of the Indians makes the statement:
"What we do is not an artistic expression. And you don't have artistic license to take little pieces here and there and do what you want with it." Makes me ask the question: Why Not?

Is there a legitimate reason for one culture to never use another cultures ideas, religion and symbology as "artistic expression"? Is having a big party in the desert or a Rave a legitimate excuse to "steal" a culture's spiritual ideas and iconography?

That being said, it seems from the 4 "Elements" the hippies chose, they have little understanding of Indian culture or symbology (The use of the Anastazi, who no white man has ever seen, specifically made me cringe) They couldn't be bothered to use only Indians from the area where the Burning Man  or Rave are located, yet some how didn't bother to use any of the "Five Civilized Tribes" that make up the soveriegn nations in Indian Territory (now Oklahoma) The use of the "Native American Church" as the group that would get the charity from the "fundraiser" just further solidifies my opinion that these hippies are raping the Indians in an attempt to "Help" them. Other than the fact that the members of the NAC can do peyote as part of their religious ceremonies, what do these kids know (or care) about any Indian religion?

Am I the only person that kinda smiled that a bunch of Indians made a bunch of hippies suffering from a case of "White Man's Guilt" cry?

(edited to change security from "members" to "Public")