25 years ago a group of traditional native elders came together with a dream. To provide a center to preserve the diverse language culture and traditions of the San Joaquin River area. So that their children, and grand children would know who they are and where they came from. For twenty-five years they scrounged and struggled to realize their dream. With their own resources, money out of their own pockets, time and efforts they brought together traditional native people from many of the rancheros in the San Juan Valley to preserve their language and traditions. Their decades of effort was rewarded with land from BLM where they reconstructed a traditional native village. In time they even aquired an old dilapidated abandoned school that they refurbished with their own labor and every penny they could scrounge together, again, primarily from their own pockets. Thier decades of selfless dedication earned the respect of tribal elders, many of whom came forward to pass on thier invaluable knowledge to the next seven generations

When one of the founding members falls ill hospitalized, new blood shows up offering to help Peggy Fontenot and James Kincaid Johnson founders of "The Living Wall" web site which we believe is scam to rip off Vietnam era vets and thier families. The SJRIHEC's board was a group of elders banded together with a dream not corporate Americans. They are grateful for the offer of help and welcome these new people, inviting them to be board members. In the weeks that follow the new board members headed by Peggy Fontenot and James Kincaid Johnson bring thier freinds and make them board members. As these new non natives become the majority board, the original Native Elders are pushed aside. The tone of the Center changes, the new board wants to make a profit. They want to sell photography lessons and sell patent pending beading looms to the local native children. The original members of the board withdraw thier support as they are insulted and they see thier dream being traded in for profit. Only David P. Johnson, Tina Potter and Barbara Potter remain. The elders that were to teach thier dying languages withdraw unwanted. Many of whom will take the language of thier people with them when they cross over. The elders have no intrest in photography lessons or patent pending beading looms. The grant writters back out and community support has waned. Twenty five years of credibility gone within months.

For our part. Around June of 2001 I was introduced to Joanne White via E-mail by my friend Anthony and learned about The San Joaquin River Intertribal Heritage Educational Corporation (SJRIHEC). After numerous E-mails and eventually telephone calls between Joanne and myself, I came to understand the purpose of The San Joaquin River Intertribal Heritage Educational Corporation (SJRIHEC) was to preserve the language, traditions and wisdom of the traditional Indigenous People of what is now California.

I agreed to help out by createing and hosting a website for The San Joaquin River Intertribal Heritage Educational Corporation (SJRIHEC). With a couple conditions
1) That The San Joaquin River Intertribal Heritage Educational Corporation (SJRIHEC), not be involved with the sale of traditional spiritual knowledge or indigenous ceremony.
2) That The San Joaquin River Intertribal Heritage Educational Corporation (SJRIHEC) remain true thier stated purpose and not charge Indian People for its services
3) That we be given credit / acknowledged for creating all the graphics, design, illustration and layout of the website.
4) That if The San Joaquin River Intertribal Heritage Educational Corporation (SJRIHEC) ever did get any money we would get paid for our services. Until then we would retain ownership and all copyrights to everything on this website including but not limited to all the graphics html java script art logos and photography
We agreed to create a simple six page website and to develop a logo for San Joaquin River Intertribal Heritage Educational Corporation (SJRIHEC) to use on the website. It turned ou to be a fifty two page website with one hundred and six graphics and illustrations. For the next four years we ended up managing the website for free, paying for the domain name and the monthly hosting costs. We never got a dime from San Joaquin River Intertribal Heritage Educational Corporation (SJRIHEC) except and an occasional donation totaling $372 over four years from Joan White to help pay for the hosting.
Instead, when San Joaquin River Intertribal Heritage Educational Corporation (SJRIHEC) did get some money they paid Peter Benjamin $1,200.00 to rip off what we created. What a hack Peter Benjamin could not even steal with any level of skill he managed to crash our server

This website remains as a warning against San Joaquin River Intertribal Heritage Educational Corporation (SJRIHEC) and yes out of resentment that Peggy Fontenot, James Kincaid Johnson, Peter Benjamin, David P. Johnson, Tina Potter and Barbara Potter bilked us out of thousands of dollars. Be warned DO NOT let San Joaquin River Intertribal Heritage Educational Corporation (SJRIHEC) rob you like they robbed us.

For more information of how and what San Joaquin River Intertribal Heritage Educational Corporation (SJRIHEC) Peggy Fontenot, James Kincaid Johnson, Peter Benjamin, David P. Johnson, Tina Potter and Barbara Potter stole click here
For more information about the Living Wall Scam click here


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