Mount Shasta, California
The NATIVE AMERICAN CHURCH OF THE GHOST DANCERS was
originally founded in Marina del Rey, California on July 13, 2007 to re-establish
the ethnic traditions of the Native American Church traditions, Ghost Dance
religion and ancient traditions of Indian Masonry as practiced by the southeast
ceremonial complex. The southern California area has one of the largest Native
American populations in the United States and while there some of our early
members were from various tribal Native American churches and traditions such as
the Sandoval family who were leaders in the Native American Church of Navajo
Nation and the relatives of the famed Mazatec shamaness, Maria Sabina, from
Oaxaca, Mexico, Perla Serna and her son, Daniel Ostrom, who now leads our
Church in Oaxaca, Mexico. In January, 2021, the Church moved its headquarters
to Siskiyou County in the north valley of Mt. Shasta, California to one of the most
traditional areas in Native America. This was also the home of the ancient Ghost
Dance and where the longest Indian war in the history of the United States
occurred, the Modoc War, led by Captain Jack, who was a Ghost Dancer along
with their religious leader, Curly Headed Doctor. At the conclusion of the war this
group was removed to northeast Oklahoma where Chief Sintollo, titular head of the
Church, spent his adolescence. Since thw move many medicine ceremonies, dances
and native weddings have occurred at the Church property. Ancient Mt. Shasta is
regarded by many tribal people’s to be the origin of mankind and many paranormal
events have occurred since the Church relocation. Medicine ceremonies are held in
an ancient stone circle with our half-moon or full-moon altar made of cornmeal
and tobacco. Subsequently, herds of sacred deer from the forest will come and eat
the circle clean and carry our prayers back into the forest.
Sacred Peaches
Takkon Holitopa
(The Sacred Peach)
During our time in the Venice Church location we had a small plot of ground in the front of our
temple. We were told by agronomists that being in a beach city location that nothing could grow
there. We began to pray and do ceremonies over this ground and obtained a small sapling peach
tree to plant there. One of the months in the Choctaw calendar is Hvsh Takkon, the sacred peach
month, in latter July and August. The tree after repeated soli reclamation and prayers by Church
members began to flourish. So much so that it overflowed with fruit. The homeless of Venice
and neighbors in the vicinity would come and be fed by her. People from as far as Ojai and Santa
Barbara (more than a hundred miles away) would drive for these sacred peaches during Hvsh
Takkon demonstrating the spiritual power of our earth Mother when she is respected to resurge.