Chuluaqui-Quodoushka
Encyclopedia
Chuluaqui Quodoushka is a collection of sexual
techniques and theories developed and promoted by the Deer Tribe Medicine Society, a New Age
new religious movement
and business co-founded by Harley Reagan and Diane Reagan in 1986. Reagan cites a variety of ancient cultures as the source of these practices including the Olmec
, the Mayan
and the Toltec
, though previously he referenced them as being of Cherokee
origin.
, Mayan
and Toltec
cultures, and some secret societies within the Cherokee
Nation, are disputed by the traditional teachers of these cultures and can be considered a form of Mayanism
. As a child moves into adulthood, rites of passage have been part of most indigenous peoples' traditions. However, opponents claim that Reagan's particular take on what these ceremonies were, and should be, stands in stark contrast to the actual teachings and beliefs of the cultures he claims to represent.The Cherokee Nation, disavows it entirely noting that Reagan is not a registered member of the Cherokee Nation. After being denounced by the Cherokee Nation, Reagan changed his backstory and now claims the teachings come from a variety of cultures.
Critics make the following claims.
Some sexuality exercises refer to the Chakra
s, which is an East Indian term in common use today in many traditions. Demonstrations include male and female self-pleasuring techniques and close up examinations to show differences in the shapes of genitalia.
term for "sacred black hole of creation," and a man's genitalia are referred to as "Tipilli" also claimed by Reagan to be a Cherokee
term meaning "like a tipi pole". However, according to Durbin Feeling, who is a linguistic specialist for the Cherokee
Nation, there are no such words in the Cherokee
language, and Cherokee do not and never have lived in tipi
s. In fact, the word "tipili" applied to genitals is likely taken from Gary Jennings
' novel Aztec
. Feeling said the word Chu-Lua-Qui is a word that refers to Cherokee people; he said the closest translation he could find for Quodoushka is "(a)qwv-tol u- ska" a graphic term for a male sexual organ that has nothing to do with Cherokee spirituality. "It's pretty ugly. I don't know if he (Harley Reagan) realizes what it means." Feeling added as an afterthought, "He probably does know what it means."
Much of the ancient Maya
religious tradition is still not understood by scholars and there is no surviving information about Mayan sex rituals.
The Olmecs were a people in Mexico
who predated the Aztecs. Their culture disappeared and the only clues left about them are some stone statues and hieroglyphic carvings. Olmec mythology has left no documents and therefore cannot have anything to do with modern-day sex rituals.
There are also claims that the teachings are also Toltec
in origin, also unsubstantiated.
The Cherokee
Nation firmly denies any involvement in the Chuluaqui-Quodoushka. Harley Reagan appeared on the Home Box Office
program Real Sex in America in 1992, promoting his sex therapy "Quodoushka" as a Cherokee ritual. The chief of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma at the time, Wilma Mankiller
, threatened to sue HBO for misrepresentation, and a resolution was passed by the Cherokee condemning Reagan and other "plastic shaman
s". It is believed by some that in order to avoid a lawsuit, Reagan changed his story to the claim that Quodoushka is a blend of many ancient sexual traditions.
Dr. Richard Allen, a research and policy analyst of the Cherokee Nation, says of the Chuluaqui Quodoushka, "Reagan's made it up. We learn about sex like everyone else does, behind the barn."
who studies with Harley Reagan and has a lot of praise for the "Q" workshops.
and Madison. Porn star Hyapatia Lee was a student of Harley Swiftdeer Reagan, and is of Cherokee descent. The film itself is a pornographic film made to look as though it is a documentary. The film depicts various women of supposed Cherokee ancestry copulating in various ways with mostly white men.
At the request of Mr. Reagan, the film was renamed to "Snakedance". The teachings are not about porn, and he didn't want a porn film associated with them.
Human sexuality
Human sexuality is the awareness of gender differences, and the capacity to have erotic experiences and responses. Human sexuality can also be described as the way someone is sexually attracted to another person whether it is to opposite sexes , to the same sex , to either sexes , or not being...
techniques and theories developed and promoted by the Deer Tribe Medicine Society, a New Age
New Age
The New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and then infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational...
new religious movement
New religious movement
A new religious movement is a religious community or ethical, spiritual, or philosophical group of modern origin, which has a peripheral place within the dominant religious culture. NRMs may be novel in origin or they may be part of a wider religion, such as Christianity, Hinduism or Buddhism, in...
and business co-founded by Harley Reagan and Diane Reagan in 1986. Reagan cites a variety of ancient cultures as the source of these practices including the Olmec
Olmec
The Olmec were the first major Pre-Columbian civilization in Mexico. They lived in the tropical lowlands of south-central Mexico, in the modern-day states of Veracruz and Tabasco....
, the Mayan
Maya civilization
The Maya is a Mesoamerican civilization, noted for the only known fully developed written language of the pre-Columbian Americas, as well as for its art, architecture, and mathematical and astronomical systems. Initially established during the Pre-Classic period The Maya is a Mesoamerican...
and the Toltec
Toltec
The Toltec culture is an archaeological Mesoamerican culture that dominated a state centered in Tula, Hidalgo in the early post-classic period of Mesoamerican chronology...
, though previously he referenced them as being of Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
origin.
Overview
The Quodoushka teachings (also known as the "Q" to its adherents), according to Reagan and Quodouska teachers, can be used to awaken a practitioner's "natural self", for healing of fear and shame, to eliminate repression and to transform one into ones "magickal self". Proponents claim that it will enhance one's capacity to live in a "balanced" and "sensuous" way, allow one to give emotionally and to catalyze the "sexual soul." Chuluaqui Quodoushka teachings and guided exercises, rituals and ceremonies are credited by believers with allowing a person to improve relationships, both with themselves and with others, and with allowing one to reach higher levels of orgasm and sexual ecstasy, as well as to balance one's "feminine and masculine sides" and gain knowledge of genital anatomy.Criticism
The sexual rites of passage which Reagan references as being drawn from spiritual practices of the OlmecOlmec
The Olmec were the first major Pre-Columbian civilization in Mexico. They lived in the tropical lowlands of south-central Mexico, in the modern-day states of Veracruz and Tabasco....
, Mayan
Maya civilization
The Maya is a Mesoamerican civilization, noted for the only known fully developed written language of the pre-Columbian Americas, as well as for its art, architecture, and mathematical and astronomical systems. Initially established during the Pre-Classic period The Maya is a Mesoamerican...
and Toltec
Toltec
The Toltec culture is an archaeological Mesoamerican culture that dominated a state centered in Tula, Hidalgo in the early post-classic period of Mesoamerican chronology...
cultures, and some secret societies within the Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
Nation, are disputed by the traditional teachers of these cultures and can be considered a form of Mayanism
Mayanism
Mayanism is a non-codified eclectic collection of New Age beliefs, influenced in part by Pre-Columbian Maya mythology and some folk beliefs of the modern Maya peoples...
. As a child moves into adulthood, rites of passage have been part of most indigenous peoples' traditions. However, opponents claim that Reagan's particular take on what these ceremonies were, and should be, stands in stark contrast to the actual teachings and beliefs of the cultures he claims to represent.The Cherokee Nation, disavows it entirely noting that Reagan is not a registered member of the Cherokee Nation. After being denounced by the Cherokee Nation, Reagan changed his backstory and now claims the teachings come from a variety of cultures.
Critics make the following claims.
- That the ceremonies and techniques are simply fraudulent and do not represent any past or currently existing Native rituals.
- Most of the websites that feature postings praising the "Q" are making money from it or from similar sex workshops.
- People taking the course have to agree to a non-disclosure clause.
- Quodoushka regards children and infants as sexual beings.
Some sexuality exercises refer to the Chakra
Chakra
Chakra is a concept originating in Hindu texts, featured in tantric and yogic traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism. Its name derives from the Sanskrit word for "wheel" or "turning" .Chakra is a concept referring to wheel-like vortices...
s, which is an East Indian term in common use today in many traditions. Demonstrations include male and female self-pleasuring techniques and close up examinations to show differences in the shapes of genitalia.
Language
In the workshops a woman's genitalia are called "Tupuli", which Reagan claims is a CherokeeCherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
term for "sacred black hole of creation," and a man's genitalia are referred to as "Tipilli" also claimed by Reagan to be a Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
term meaning "like a tipi pole". However, according to Durbin Feeling, who is a linguistic specialist for the Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
Nation, there are no such words in the Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
language, and Cherokee do not and never have lived in tipi
Tipi
A tipi is a Lakota name for a conical tent traditionally made of animal skins and wooden poles used by the nomadic tribes and sedentary tribal dwellers of the Great Plains...
s. In fact, the word "tipili" applied to genitals is likely taken from Gary Jennings
Gary Jennings
Gary Jennings was an American author who wrote children's and adult novels. In 1980, after the successful novel Aztec, he specialized in writing adult historical fiction novels.-Biography:...
' novel Aztec
Aztec
The Aztec people were certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who dominated large parts of Mesoamerica in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, a period referred to as the late post-classic period in Mesoamerican chronology.Aztec is the...
. Feeling said the word Chu-Lua-Qui is a word that refers to Cherokee people; he said the closest translation he could find for Quodoushka is "(a)qwv-tol u- ska" a graphic term for a male sexual organ that has nothing to do with Cherokee spirituality. "It's pretty ugly. I don't know if he (Harley Reagan) realizes what it means." Feeling added as an afterthought, "He probably does know what it means."
Credentials
Despite the claims that the Chuluaqui Quodoushka is based on ancient traditions there is no corroborating evidence for this.Much of the ancient Maya
Maya civilization
The Maya is a Mesoamerican civilization, noted for the only known fully developed written language of the pre-Columbian Americas, as well as for its art, architecture, and mathematical and astronomical systems. Initially established during the Pre-Classic period The Maya is a Mesoamerican...
religious tradition is still not understood by scholars and there is no surviving information about Mayan sex rituals.
The Olmecs were a people in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
who predated the Aztecs. Their culture disappeared and the only clues left about them are some stone statues and hieroglyphic carvings. Olmec mythology has left no documents and therefore cannot have anything to do with modern-day sex rituals.
There are also claims that the teachings are also Toltec
Toltec
The Toltec culture is an archaeological Mesoamerican culture that dominated a state centered in Tula, Hidalgo in the early post-classic period of Mesoamerican chronology...
in origin, also unsubstantiated.
The Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
Nation firmly denies any involvement in the Chuluaqui-Quodoushka. Harley Reagan appeared on the Home Box Office
Home Box Office
HBO, short for Home Box Office, is an American premium cable television network, owned by Time Warner. , HBO's programming reaches 28.2 million subscribers in the United States, making it the second largest premium network in America . In addition to its U.S...
program Real Sex in America in 1992, promoting his sex therapy "Quodoushka" as a Cherokee ritual. The chief of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma at the time, Wilma Mankiller
Wilma Mankiller
Wilma Pearl Mankiller was the first female Chief of the Cherokee Nation. She served as principal chief for ten years from 1985 to 1995.-Early life:...
, threatened to sue HBO for misrepresentation, and a resolution was passed by the Cherokee condemning Reagan and other "plastic shaman
Plastic shaman
Plastic shaman is a pejorative colloquialism applied to individuals who are attempting to pass themselves off as shamans, holy people, or other traditional spiritual leaders, but who have no genuine connection to the traditions or cultures they claim to represent...
s". It is believed by some that in order to avoid a lawsuit, Reagan changed his story to the claim that Quodoushka is a blend of many ancient sexual traditions.
Dr. Richard Allen, a research and policy analyst of the Cherokee Nation, says of the Chuluaqui Quodoushka, "Reagan's made it up. We learn about sex like everyone else does, behind the barn."
Proponents
Many of the students of Quodoushka sex workshops have high praise for them. On the Internet it is very easy to find a lot of people who claim to have benefited from them. With four levels of "Q" Training available and workshops going on not only in the U.S.A., but in Canada, Australia and seven countries in Europe, the workshops continue to attract an increasing number of followers. One of the biggest fans of the "Q" is porn star Porsche LynnPorsche Lynn
Porsche Lynn is the stage name of an American exotic dancer, dominatrix, and pornographic actress. She chose her stage name from the Porsche car company after seeing one of their cars during a drive to one of her earliest film shoots; she added "Lynn" to it as it fit well.-Early life:Lynn's...
who studies with Harley Reagan and has a lot of praise for the "Q" workshops.
In film
A movie called "Quodoushka, Native American Love Techniques" (or "Quodoushka") came out in 1991, distributed by Vivid Video and starring such hard-core porn actresses as Ashley Nicole, Heather Hart, Hyapatia LeeHyapatia Lee
Hyapatia Lee of Cherokee and Irish descent, is a former American exotic dancer and pornographic actress...
and Madison. Porn star Hyapatia Lee was a student of Harley Swiftdeer Reagan, and is of Cherokee descent. The film itself is a pornographic film made to look as though it is a documentary. The film depicts various women of supposed Cherokee ancestry copulating in various ways with mostly white men.
At the request of Mr. Reagan, the film was renamed to "Snakedance". The teachings are not about porn, and he didn't want a porn film associated with them.
Sources
- Chuluaqui-Quodoushka I, II, III Manual and outline.
- New Age Frauds and Plastic Shamans website and forum
- Internet Adult Film Database
- The Institute for Contemporary Shamanic Studies page on Quodoushka
- Sustained Reaction Archive5
- http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1993-01-27/news/1993027046_1_cherokee-nation-indian-tribe
- Encyclopedia of women and religion in North America, Volume 1 By Rosemary Skinner Keller, Rosemary Radford Ruether, Marie Cantlon