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[[File:27449728.jpg|thumb|J. Reuben Silverbird]]

[[image:27449728.jpg|thumb|J. Reuben Silverbird]]

[[File:PhpThumb generated thumbnailjpg.jpg|thumb|J. Reuben Silverbird]]

[[image:PhpThumb generated thumbnailjpg.jpg|thumb|J. Reuben Silverbird]]

'''J. Reuben Silverbird''', or „Joseph Reuben Silverbird“, proper name apparently '''Ruben Ortiz''', is a musician, actor, and [[Plastic Shaman]] and has been living in Vienna/Austria since 1999. Correspondingly, his main area of activity is Austria, but he also tours Norway and did a tour through Australia in 2011. He maintains contacts to Unification Church (the „Moonies“) and to Falun Gong.

'''J. Reuben Silverbird''', or „Joseph Reuben Silverbird“, proper name apparently '''Ruben Ortiz''', is a musician, actor, and [[Plastic Shaman]] and has been living in Vienna/Austria since 1999. Correspondingly, his main area of activity is Austria, but he also tours Norway and did a tour through Australia in 2011. He maintains contacts to Unification Church (the „Moonies“) and to Falun Gong.

Ortiz has been living in Vienna since 1999, where he initially held a job as a consultant for the theme park „Indian Village Europe“.<ref name="semtribe">http://www.semtribe.com/SeminoleTribune/Archive/1999/May28/europe.shtml accessed 23/06/2013</ref> When this project ended, Ortiz tried to establish as a musician and actor in Europe and additionally entered the market as a shaman and alleged healer.

Ortiz has been living in Vienna since 1999, where he initially held a job as a consultant for the theme park „Indian Village Europe“.<ref name="semtribe">http://www.semtribe.com/SeminoleTribune/Archive/1999/May28/europe.shtml accessed 23/06/2013</ref> When this project ended, Ortiz tried to establish as a musician and actor in Europe and additionally entered the market as a shaman and alleged healer.

== Various Legends==

==Various Legends==

Ortiz portrays himself as the son of a Native American family and claims his father, whose name he renders as Joseph Ortiz Cordona, was a Nedhni Apache, while his mother, Florinda Blair, was a Navaho; at times his mother gets described as a Navaho-Cherokee or a Cherokee. Occasionally, Ortiz claims his mother's family was related to Sequoyah who invented the Cherokee alphabet, whom he misspells as Sequoia<ref name="biosstars">http://www.biosstars.us/casting/6/s/silverbird.htm accessed 23/06/2013</ref> which is the spelling for the Redwood tree.<ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequoia accessed 23/06/2013</ref> On the other hand, there are press articles dating back to the 1970s in which the „Silverbirds“ are said to be Navaho.<ref name="newspapers" />

Ortiz portrays himself as the son of a Native American family and claims his father, whose name he renders as Joseph Ortiz Cordona, was a Nedhni Apache, while his mother, Florinda Blair, was a Navaho; at times his mother gets described as a Navaho-Cherokee or a Cherokee. Occasionally, Ortiz claims his mother's family was related to Sequoyah who invented the Cherokee alphabet, whom he misspells as Sequoia<ref name="biosstars">http://www.biosstars.us/casting/6/s/silverbird.htm accessed 23/06/2013</ref> which is the spelling for the Redwood tree.<ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequoia accessed 23/06/2013</ref> On the other hand, there are press articles dating back to the 1970s in which the „Silverbirds“ are said to be Navaho.<ref name="newspapers" />

===The Legends Revealed===

===The Legends Revealed===

[[File:TheCoronadosHeylove.jpg|thumb|Front: Ruben Ortiz, back: Steven Ortiz]]

[[image:TheCoronadosHeylove.jpg|thumb|Front: Ruben Ortiz, back: Steven Ortiz]]

Despite Ortiz' attempts, there is enough information available to counter the various and at times even inconsistent legends he has been spreading since the 1960s. The alleged brother-in-law Steven Coronado who played with the „Coronados“ and later the „Silverbirds“, too, was in fact Ruben's younger brother Steven Ortiz. Steven is somewhat more truthful about his family and mentions his parents' proper names as José Torres Ortiz and Florinda Naranjo Ortiz.<ref>http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2006/feb/10/east_naples_man_recounts_story_growing_under_big_t/ accessed 24/06/2013</ref>

Despite Ortiz' attempts, there is enough information available to counter the various and at times even inconsistent legends he has been spreading since the 1960s. The alleged brother-in-law Steven Coronado who played with the „Coronados“ and later the „Silverbirds“, too, was in fact Ruben's younger brother Steven Ortiz. Steven is somewhat more truthful about his family and mentions his parents' proper names as José Torres Ortiz and Florinda Naranjo Ortiz.<ref>http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2006/feb/10/east_naples_man_recounts_story_growing_under_big_t/ accessed 24/06/2013</ref>

==Range of activities==

==Range of activities==

[[File:Exclusiv 129-2009 021.jpg|thumb|Waterloo: The secret knowledge of the Lakota]]

[[image:Exclusiv 129-2009 021.jpg|thumb|Waterloo: The secret knowledge of the Lakota]]

Ortiz does not have a particularly comprehensive range of seminars or ceremonies which again points against his claims regarding an indigenous and medicine person status. He seems to do predominantly lectures and seminars, but also sells sweatlodge ceremonies. His pricing, however, is certainly noteworthy due to the exorbitant amounts charged: so e.g. participation in a sweatlodge done during an incentive trip in an Austrian hotel was € 1,100 plus VAT!<ref>http://www.larimarhotel.at/de-indianisches-medizinrad-workshop-silverbird-276.htm accessed 24/06/2013</ref> In Australia, sweatlodges with Ortiz were sold at $ 1,197 per person resp. $ 2,194 per couple.<ref>http://www.reubensilverbird.com/ accessed 23/06/2013</ref> This indicates Ortiz will also do mixed sweatlodges which is not in accordance with indigenous traditions. The usual range of prices asked by most Plastic Shamans is less than 10% of these amounts. Customers do not only face being grossly overcharged: since Ortiz does not have any links to indigenous cultures and has had no formal training as a medicine person, he will not be in a position to do anything but a mere imitation of this ceremony, and not be able to judge whether participants are in appropriate health or whether they need to leave the lodge. Participating in Ortiz' sweatlodges may thus present a danger to attendants.  

Ortiz does not have a particularly comprehensive range of seminars or ceremonies which again points against his claims regarding an indigenous and medicine person status. He seems to do predominantly lectures and seminars, but also sells sweatlodge ceremonies. His pricing, however, is certainly noteworthy due to the exorbitant amounts charged: so e.g. participation in a sweatlodge done during an incentive trip in an Austrian hotel was € 1,100 plus VAT!<ref>http://www.larimarhotel.at/de-indianisches-medizinrad-workshop-silverbird-276.htm accessed 24/06/2013</ref> In Australia, sweatlodges with Ortiz were sold at $ 1,197 per person resp. $ 2,194 per couple.<ref>http://www.reubensilverbird.com/ accessed 23/06/2013</ref> This indicates Ortiz will also do mixed sweatlodges which is not in accordance with indigenous traditions. The usual range of prices asked by most Plastic Shamans is less than 10% of these amounts. Customers do not only face being grossly overcharged: since Ortiz does not have any links to indigenous cultures and has had no formal training as a medicine person, he will not be in a position to do anything but a mere imitation of this ceremony, and not be able to judge whether participants are in appropriate health or whether they need to leave the lodge. Participating in Ortiz' sweatlodges may thus present a danger to attendants.  

===Activities on Newage Congresses===

===Activities on Newage Congresses===

Since at least 2004, Ortiz' participation in various Newage Congresses, posing as a „shaman“, is still well documented in the internet. He made an appearance at the 2006 Congress „Weltfriedenskongress: Spiritualität und Weltfrieden“ [World Peace Congress: Spirituality and World Peace], beside established Plastic Shamans like Kachinas Kutenai, Devalon Small Legs, and John Colbert a.k.a. Lightning Bear a.k.a. Pushican<ref>http://www.eso-garden.com/index.php?/weblog/C4/P15/ accessed 23/06/2013</ref> who, in 2000, had been sentenced by a German court of justice: Colbert had sewed up the vagina of a young woman, a minor at the point in time, in a fake ceremony invented by him.<ref>http://www.agpf.de/lightningbear.htm acessed 23/06/2013</ref>  

Since at least 2004, Ortiz' participation in various Newage Congresses, posing as a „shaman“, is still well documented in the internet. He made an appearance at the 2006 Congress „Weltfriedenskongress: Spiritualität und Weltfrieden“ [World Peace Congress: Spirituality and World Peace], beside established Plastic Shamans like Kachinas Kutenai, Devalon Small Legs, and John Colbert a.k.a. Lightning Bear a.k.a. Pushican<ref>http://www.eso-garden.com/index.php?/weblog/C4/P15/ accessed 23/06/2013</ref> who, in 2000, had been sentenced by a German court of justice: Colbert had sewed up the vagina of a young woman, a minor at the point in time, in a fake ceremony invented by him.<ref>http://www.agpf.de/lightningbear.htm acessed 23/06/2013</ref>  

==Involvement with Unification Church and other cults==

==Involvement with Unification Church and other cults==

Since at least 2000<ref name="tongil">http://www.tongil.org/ucbooks/UNews/0003.pdf accessed 24/06/2013</ref>, Ortiz has been involved with Sun Myung Moon's Unification Church and also accepted the fake title of a „peace ambassador“ from the cult. While in earlier articles in UC media, Ortiz is called an „ambassador of Indian Village“ in Vienna<ref name="tongil" />, a „spiritual leader of 100 nations“<ref name="tongil" />, or a „representative for pre-Christian religions of Europe“<ref>http://www.tongilgyo.de/vk-archiv/ accessed 24/06/2013</ref>, a precise date of his receiving the fake title cannot be established from the cult press and websites. A Moon front organisation, „Interreligious and International Federation for World Peace“ (IIFWP) – now Universal Peace Foundation (UPF) – in 2003 already had Ortiz giving a lecture on his experience as a peace ambassador.<ref>http://www.weltfriede.at/200309301.htm accessed 24/06/2013</ref>  

Since at least 2000<ref name="tongil">http://www.tongil.org/ucbooks/UNews/0003.pdf accessed 24/06/2013</ref>, Ortiz has been involved with Sun Myung Moon's Unification Church and also accepted the fake title of a „peace ambassador“ from the cult. While in earlier articles in UC media, Ortiz is called an „ambassador of Indian Village“ in Vienna<ref name="tongil" />, a „spiritual leader of 100 nations“<ref name="tongil" />, or a „representative for pre-Christian religions of Europe“<ref>http://www.tongilgyo.de/vk-archiv/ accessed 24/06/2013</ref>, a precise date of his receiving the fake title cannot be established from the cult press and websites. A Moon front organisation, „Interreligious and International Federation for World Peace“ (IIFWP) – now Universal Peace Foundation (UPF) – in 2003 already had Ortiz giving a lecture on his experience as a peace ambassador.<ref>http://www.weltfriede.at/200309301.htm accessed 24/06/2013</ref>