David Gaskin... a self proclaimed VIP proven Scam

Well folks, once again it is with great sadness that we have to come and report to you some very sad and bothersome news, this time regarding an adopted church member proven scam who has done nothing other than add to the dark black eye of Oklevueha. We feel an explination to our members is due, and so, we would like to take a moment to explain the situation to you.

David Gaskin, self-proclaimed "bilateral hereditary chieftian" of the Chipewa band of "Indians" of Sugar Island presented himself to members of Oklevueha Native American Church in early March of this year seeking help and refuge after having been literally kicked off of the "Longest Walk" organized by the American Indian Movement (AIM), and personally asked to leave by well known and revered AIM activist Kevin Banks. Gaskin sought financial help as well as refuge as he was "stranded in the desert".

Officials of Oklevueha quickly jumped in and sent Gaskin $200.00 for a bus ticket and offered to help him as best as they could. Gaskn quickly took the money and agreed to do all he could to help Oklevueha Native American Church as a "token of gratitude" for their "unconditional acceptance and assistance" during his time of need - a primise that would prove to be short lived about as much as it was hollow where sincerity and honor should otherwise be found.

Gaskin arrived in southern California where he was picked up and taken to the Queen Mary, a historic ship docked in Long Beach turned into a restaurant and hotel. Gaskin was housed on that ship at the expense of ONAC for more than a week without aking for Anything in return for the churches generosity. When Gaskn arrived, he seemed grateful for the churches blind sacrafice in effort of helpng him out.

Gaskn spoke big of his family tree, insisting that he alone was the sole inheritor of both Sugar Island and all it's inhabitants, the Chippewa nation. Gaskin said that he as the only son of his father alone would soon be sole controller of the entire island as well as all the surrounding tribal members. Gaskin went on to boast that in addition to inheriting all this, that too, because his 2 uncles were also chieftians of surrounding tribes on the islands, that he was about to be named as "Ambassador of ALL the tribes encompassing the islands of Sault Ste Marie... but Gaskins horn tooting didn't stop there, he also began insisting that he additionally IS sole inheritor of Turtle Mountain in North Dakota... land he swore was unspoiled and desolate, and land he was willing to offer Oklevueha once he was given clear title to, even naming a man who agreed to give it to him, lock stock and barrel.

In exchange for such generosity, Gaskin asked for an independent branch of Oklevueha Native American Church, a branch he said he was in turn going to give as an offering to "The Three Fires Counsel". Gaskin assured Oklevueha leaders that such a gift from him to them would ensure "Indian Countries Total Support" for both Oklevueha as well as his position and "Indian above all other indians." Leaders of Oklevueha were willing to entertain his proposal and gift him the branch he named as "ONAC Indigenous Peoples Church" (ONAC IPC). However, before the paperwork could even be prepared, Gaskin would show true to his true colors, as well as the fact that all his claims were as hollow as his intentions as Gaskin quickly began causing nothing but trouble for and within the confines of several Oklevueha churches throughout southern Calfornia, as well as mislead a family in dire need of help in retruevung their children from a dangerous situation in the state of Kansas.

While playing his role, Gaskin called on two tribal members to join him in California... elder Kevin Locke of Leech Lake Chippewa tribe and youth delegate Tyler Chilson of the Cree Nation of Minnesota. Gaskin offered these two many great and endless "cost free adventures" if they would come and assist him in implementing the spiritual components to the newly formed and up-in-coming church branches. However, it wouldn't be long thereafter that Gaskin's true intentions would shine though and his farce exposed as fictitious.

The man Gaskin named who was to Give him the clear deed to Turtle Mountain was contacted by church members who were quickly told that no such promise was ever made to Gaskin. The man assured ONAC that not only was he Not in Any legal position to have ever made such a promise to Gaskn, but expressed too that all Gaskins descriptions regarding the mountain were as false as his claim to owning it. The man said that the mountain is in fact owned land, but not by he, and too, that the owners had already developed the mountain including the operation of 6 casino's upon it.

When Gaskin was confronted about these new found facts, he quickly shifted gears toward his claims of control regarding Sugar Island, but prior to being called out on his lies, Gaskin stressed the importance of him obtaining Turtle Mountain, saying that their is an abundance of minerals upon that land that he intended on mining so to fund his big plans of fame fortune and stardome... something "ndian Country" nor ONAC would Ever wish to be part of nor condone as an approperiate coarse for any Native American Church... period!

Initially Gaskin promised to authorize the establishment of an ONAC Headquarters upon Sugar Island - first of many promises he could never possibly produce. He sold that promise complete with the primise of being able to protect each and every member of Oklevueha with "International status as a sovergn" and not just that, but "Diplomatic immunity" as well. Perhaps if he were a chief, especially an Only chief of an island on international waters, it might have been a legitimate possibility, but ultimately because he is Not in any position of authority on the island nor over the peoples of it, just another glorified lie it would prove to be freely flowing out of his mouth in the hopes of convincing the world how extremely valuable and important he is... even though he's not.

As Gaskin quickly outgrew his britches, so too did he begin to overstep his bounds as well, day by day declaring himself so extremely important and Invaluable to ONAC as he began disrespecting it's members... but being the kind, loving and blindly trusting a church as ONAC is, hos smokescreen wouldn't be realized until irreparable damage was already done within. Being as important as he convinced himself as well as others he was, he believed that he could do as he wished and not be subjected to the ethical code of the church, nor suffer any form of consequence for violating it.

Gaskin was reported by several church members to be sexually harrassing to they as well as other female members who would encounter him at their local church. In addition to them, church members actually working at the church locations also would report the same inapproperiate and unwanted conduct. Gaskin of coarse denied this when confronted by leaders of the church and quickly began speakng of an engagement to a tribal woman up in Canada who works for Child Services for her tribe. Of coarse his eye kept roaving about the females, but with that came the statement that "My tribe believes in having multiple wives, so even though I'm gonna marry Jennifer, it doesn't mean that I'm only going to love or be with her alone."

Gaskin was explained that such an attitude and behavior could not be tolerated by the church toward church members, especially those who formally complain about it. Gaskin's own people would later confirm that it was in fact Gaskin that was sexually harrasing ONAC members and not the other way around as he still to date insists is the fact of the case, and according to his pwn people, it was far from an isolated incident nor a one-time thing, it was consistent and to them, even embarrasing.

Gaskin maintained his innocense saying that if anything it was He who was being sexually harrassed by church members, adn believed that the only reason such complaints were being made against him was because he was rejecting their advances toward him. Gaskin also began demanding that he was to get paid $1,500.00 per month plus ounces of free sacrament per week for being such the important "foundation" making Indian Country respect Oklevueha. His aptitude increasingly worsened and more and more complaints came rolling in about him making lude comments about female members bodies who would come into the church he was now living at. Gaskin also would invite himself to parties across the southland claiming himself as "Ambassador of ONAC" and behaving the polar opposite of an ONAC member while rubbing elbows and blowing smoke up various VIP's butts as he portrayed himself as above even Great Creator himself when it came to the church.

When church leaders then addressed Gaskin's need for a "sexual Harassment" course and too realized that he would Not be given the free handout living he now was demanding of ONAC , Gaskin quickly switched from singing ONAC's praise to slamming and disrespecting it beyond imaginability. At one point Gaskin "Unblessed" three churches that he had offered to bless on behalf of ONAC and moments later called the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) on them specifically as well as ONAC as a whole - claiming that they were not churches nor functioning as such, and he knew because it was His job to format their functionability - a job he put little to NO effort towards at all.

The only good to come from David Gaskin to Oklevueha was in his fit of spoiled demands, it would come to church leaders attention of a bigger threat to ONAC's internal functioning and operation... that there was a wolf far more damaging than him lingering about and needing dealt with... attorney Matthew Pappas. Pappas attempted to buy Gaskin's silence (along with Gaskins two tribal associates) by purchasing an RV promising it to them in exchange for their cooperation. Though Pappas acknowledged having purchased the RV for ONAC as a church vehicle, he titled and registered it in his own personal name and ultimately at the last moment, refused to give it to them and ordered one of his employees to "kick and 86" Gaskin and his two friends from all ONAC churches, which was promptly done - first ejecting Gaskin and later on ejecting the two tribal members from a church mid-prayer.

Sachem Joy Graves was called upon to run "Damage Control", which at the time appeared to be to aid Gaskin and the two tribal members. For that Pappas turned against Graves, even going so far as to threaten to remove himself from her and ONAC's federal case up and coming in Portland federal court - a case needing desperately to win in order to secure the protections of plants and members within the whole of the church. Graves fired back threatening to file a complaint against him with the state bar if he did, so to date, Pappas's name still reflects as counsel despite having since been terminated as any form of legal representation of Oklevueha as the whole.

Gaskin then set out to establish his own Native American Church... "Ojibway Native American Unity Church" (ONAUC), a name he obtained an EIN number for just prior to seeking out Oklevueha. Gaskin asked Sachem Graves to provide him with a decleration of fact, confirming his petigree as well as his acknowledgement by Oklevueha, which she did. Gaskin then turned to Kevin Locke and asked him to provide for him the same thing, which too he did, and after that, he asked they plus a few others to sign on as Permanent board members of his new church.

All the while Gaskin Swore that he was planning nothing other than to Combind the two, ONAUC with his ONAC branch "to stregnthen both's foundation where Indian Country HAS to accept us", which at the time sounded like a good and honorable thing, but once the paperwork was notorized, once again Gaskin's true colors would show and his coarse as well as his objective would change for his own selfish interests opposed to teh goals of Oklevueha or any other Native American Church for that matter.

Native American Church (NAC) of Canada made contact with Gaskin inquiring as to his position with ONAC. The man said that so long as ONAUC was NOT affiliated with ONAC he would extend the offering of ceremony between Gaskn and NAC Canada... and that would be the First point-blank confirmational proof of Gaskin's disloyalty as well as dishonorable intentions. Gaskin quickly denounced ANY affiliation to ONAC and was invited to Canada to meet with the NAC, but ultimately their meeting with him would quickly reveal to them that Gaskin was NOT someone they wanted affiliation with, nor could they trust him. When asked by others why he was willing to denounce ONAC after publicly singing their praise, his response was "To get the blessing from NAC I have to denounce ONAC, but, once have their blessing, they're enter-twined together whether they like it or not."

Next, David Gaskin began plotting on how to become not only known but revered by the whole of "Indian Country" as well as the entire Globe in one major shot, and he believed he'd found it in a company working on "BitCoin", working on formulating a new currency as well as an internationally accepted Identification system that too would double as a credit card for holders. Gaskin promised them that he would "Build a UN building on Sugar Island and unite All the tribes of Indian Country", in North America and Canada both and establish his own "Indian Nation UN". Gaskin pushed hard that Sugar Island is declared "The most sacred place among Turtle Island" and even went so far as to promse many that he would get the pope to not only personally appear and endorce he and his UN, but too, that he would get the Pope to Apologize to all the tribes and make Him force the "Main UN" to "Honor and conform to the UN of Indian Country", boasting that ultimately he would, at least to a degree, become the most important person on our globe.

With this too, David would always throw in the fact that he has a retail company titled "David Allen Trading" - where the word "Allen" fits in most are Still trying to figure out as his name is David Wugene Gaskn, not David Allen Gaskin. He had big plans for ways to make "Millions" all tax-free by using his trading company along with the churches protections of selling sacrament "internationally" insisting that no one could touch it or him.

When Gaskn turned to his tribe on Sugar Island asking for their support and vote for a tribal counsel position, all including his own cousin shot him down. An interesting point noticed by those looking on, was when he stated in his address to his tribe "Eventhough most of you don't want me back home, I'm still out here representing You." - an interesting statement to be made by someone who was not only So important to the tribe of his island, but too, to the tribes encompassing it in which his uncles are chieftians over as well.

Gaskn then received word from one of his uncles back home via a text he shared with many, telling him that if he was seriously seeking to be honored by "Indian Country" then he had better actually partake in ONE formal ceremony. Gaskn admitted that he had never been in any traditional ceremony, and too expressed that he had No intention of sundancing nor piercing which is a part of the ceremony - a ceremony extremely pertinent for someone trying to become a spiritual representative of All of "Indian Country." Gaskin was told there was no way around that needing to be done, so ultimately he reluctantly agreed that he would go To the ceremony but insisted that he flat would not pierce.

Later on as more and more tribal elders emphasized the importance of him piercing, he finally agreed that he would, but said that it was "Only to ensure that all of Indian Country would then blindly trust, accept and support him" - all the WRONG reasons to not only enter into a ceremony, but definately so regarding among the most sacred spiritual ceremonies performed by tribal peoples.

To take the attention away from this topic, Gaskin again shifted gears and now aimed at making some "quick and permanent cash flow" - contacting the heads of the churches he had unblessed and then turned into the BIA. Gaskn informed them that their churches were fake, and then offered to "Bless them as ONAUC church branches" in exchange for $1,500.00 a month "Per church branch" plus 2-3 ounces a week of sacrament from each as well "for as long as they're in business. Gaskin boasted that his "tithe" would bring in Thousands of dollars of "free money per WEEK". This proved to be the last straw allotted Gaskin from Graves as well as the others who were up to this point trusting and trying to help him.

Sachem Graves pointed out to Gaskn that his church had no DEA controlled Substance exemption identification number issued them by the DEA as ONAC had, and too, that by him denouncing ONAC as he so blantently disrespectfully had, that his only hope in being able to do Anything with the scheduled substances was to initiate the process to obtain an exemption number for his church - something Gaskin point blank said he wasn't going to waste his time trying to do. Gaskin's response was "Why bother with all of that, I can just bless them and get as much as I can until they're busted and shut down", and added "As long as I keep establishing branches faster then they get busted, I could get money outta this for YEARS before anything could be done to me or my church, and even then, all they could do is tell me to stop."

When confronted by Sachem Graves, Locke, Chilson and others encompassing he and his "big plans and Dishonorable stratagies", Gaskn was quick to violate his own new churches rules and kick out 4 of the 6 permanent positions occupants within it now disagreeing with his coarse of direction for this new church, including Locke, Graves and Chillson, meaning ultimately that ONAUC is no Church legally at all, other than having an EIN number which anyone can attain without having to prove validity to anything to do with it. Michael Mooney had done the same thing with his church after being excommunicated from Oklevueha a few years ago and we cal all see how the court systems of American viewed he and his church - as fake and hollow as Gaskins!

Sachem Graves as well as Kevin Locke have since made it clear to us and all inquiring as to their position or support of David Gaskin that they do NOT endorse, support or in Any way at all back David Gaskin nor his "Church" and they wish it publicly known that both REGRET ever endorsing or trusting him at all. "David Gaskin is not to be trusted, his words are farce, his primises hollow, and spiritually he lacks Everything a true hearted Spiritual Leader should have within" says one, while another adds "He is nothing more than a well worded con man out to get what he can from all he can as quickly as he can as he lights the bridges afire as soon as he sets foot on them."

A point made in regards to Gaskns sincerity is found in that he not only has never willingly entered into a traditional ceremony, nor plans to for the right intentions in mind and heart, but too in that he had absolutely no regard nor respect for the sufferings of the tribes of Turtle Island. When elders would attempt to share tribal history with him he was quick to turn a deaf ear and insist how it proves that he being "Sugar Island tribes" were far more superior to the tribes of North America and Canada, because they were never "victimized" or robbed of their land as were the other tribes, and insisted that it proves how much "Indian Country" needs someone like him to be the voice of all the tribes of this land.

As you can see, Gaskin is more often than not seen carrying a staff he claims was "Blessed by Indian Country" and declares him a diplomat for all the tribes which commands their honor to him. However, given the facts that Gaskin not only dishonors the traditional conduct such a staff would expect (ie drinking, doing drugs, hitting on women, cursing, etc.) in Front of it, many elders who have witnessed his behavior in front of the staff leave with the question as to whether the staff was blessed and gifted to him at all or if he didn't just go out and errect it himself.

Another point in regards to the staff, is in that each feather attached to it is to be Earned and Gifted freely for an honorable deed the carrier has done. When planning a trip to Canada recently for a treaty signing that he ultimately never attended, Gaskin asked the hosts of the gathering to "Ask everyone who comes to bring and give me an eagle feather to add to my staff" - something that just flat isn't Supposed to be done - asking for feathers unearned so to put them on a staff symbolizing Honor among the tribal nations.

Here nor there, the bottom line is that David Gaskin leaves much room not only for question, but too as far as his honor, trustability and sincerity of his ultimate intention. As far as all recently encompassing him is concerned (the non-greedy anyway), the bottom line concludes that Gaskin is not a proper example of that which any Native American Church should be standing nor striving towards, and all highly caution any who encounter him to seriously research and confirm anything he may promise you in effort of gaining your trust and support, because odds are that it's likely his promises and intentions will show hollow with you as well as all others who've had the unfortunate pleasure of socializing with him, especially regarding a church related and or spiritual nature.