Question of the day (sweat lodge)

I was emailed a question yesterday and it was a really good one. The question is what is the purpose of participating in a sweat lodge? Different nations will have a little bit different spin on the answer, but here goes....

First of all, please be aware that not all Nations have sweats. It isn't a Native American thing, but a tribal tradition. It is also carried out in other countries by other cultures, so it really isn't Native American per se.

The basic premise of a sweat lodge (and this will be general as different tribes will have specifics, and that is a lot of information) is to pray and be "reborn". The sweat lodge is usually looked at  as a womb , a place of heat and darkness. The time spent in the lodge is for prayer, contemplation, messages and a new beginning. It is NOT a social event, for fun, to cleanse away your sins, or a test of strength.

Most tribes would not have just a sweat alone, in would be in conjunction with something else. Preparing for a ceremony, ritual, or to help obtain visions. The sweat lodge is part of a whole , not the whole. It was sometimes used on solstices, and other events that marked seasons, times, harvests, etc.

There are different kinds of sweats. Some are dry, some are "cool" sweats, but they are generally all the same. That sameness is usually four rounds, sitting on the earth, in darkness, and focusing. It can include songs and drumming also. Traditionally lodges are entered naked. The men also traditionally sweat separately from the women. Someone will be a fire keeper and another person will be pouring the sweat. These are people who are trained, and given permission to run a sweat, not just anyone in the tribe can run a sweat whenever they feel like it. Usually they would petition the medicine man if they needed it for a ceremony. Generally the medicine man would run and announce when sweats were to be done.

Today women usually wear long skirts into the lodge. It is entered on your knees after moving clockwise around the fire (remember again this is general, some tribes may have a different spin on things). Some allow for water breaks between rounds where you can leave the lodge, then re-enter.The whole tribe usually didn't sweat, and I cannot find any verification of a whole tribe ever participating in a sweat.

Warnings are rife these days after James Ray's lodge ended in the death and illness of several people. Do not go into a lodge that was not built properly by a person who has the authority to do so. It isn't a game or for fun. No one with any disease that effects the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, etc. should enter a lodge. No one with high blood pressure, diabetes, dizzy spells, and of course heat related issues, should ever enter a lodge.Also, don't do a dumb thing a friend of mine did, have a metal clasp on your bathing suit top...guess how hot that got, and yes, it left a scar.

So, should the average American have any reason to enter a sweat. No, not at all. The average Native American, yes.

The person who emailed this question also asked if anyone (besides James Ray's group), had ever had issues in a lodge. Was that just a fluke because he didn't know what he was doing, or has there been issues in Native lodges. First of all Ray had people become ill before, it may have been people who had health issues and should not have been there is the first place. Also my husband has seen a woman who has a scar from an exploding rock on her face. I also know of a man who lost vision in one eye from an exploding rock in a lodge. It happens.

Sweat lodges are serious rituals for serious reasons, to be done by serious, dedicated, trained , authentic people. The Native American community has been very upset recently about sweat lodges being run by non Natives, and there is even a satire written about it. Part of it said maybe they should have used the sweat lodges in the past 200 years to rid the invaders. It is written tongue in cheek, but it is true that the NA community frowns upon others taking their sacred rites, rituals and ceremonies and playing at them.

This person asked if they should seek out a lodge. I asked why,  and the answer was they needed a cleansing. There are MANY ways to be cleansed, the sweat lodge is cleansing yes, but for a specific reason in conjunction with another NA ceremony, rite or ritual. Just teh average person who needs a cleansing, can obtain it in many other ways.After hearing of the rocks exploding, they are wisely choosing another path for cleansing.

There is much more to this and to really obtain good information, ask a traditional Native American person to explain their tribe's ways are. different tribes will give you different answers. My tribe did sweats , but it was not a big deal or integral part of who they are.

A few weeks ago another person emailed me that heard of a sweat at the home of a person near them. This person is not NA, nor was anyone there NA. A woman did become sick from the heat and had to go to the hospital. This person's comment was..."didn't this woman think for a moment? If I were to need to be hospitalized for illness or injury on her property, I would sue her for all my medical bills."
An interesting twist, and I would say that after the James Ray mess, they would win!

Again, don't confuse one tribe's ways with being Native American in general. 

Do the right thing for the right reasons!

Peshaui Wequashimese




(C) 2011 Dr. R M Wolf. May not be used, copied or reproduced without prior written permission