Reply #44: Final thoughts (could not edit existing post) [View All]

[abqmufc]

First, let me back up and apologize. I am truly sorry if you know of anyone who has been injured in a lodge ceremony or any other ceremony. My immediate assumption is these ceremonies were not done in a traditional way (meaning in the way that has been done for thousands of years) nor was the ceremonies run by true spiritual leader of a Tribe. I may be wrong.

Sweat lodges and most ceremonies held in a lodge are simply a purification ceremony. The end result is the same as a sauna found in most hotels, health clubs, etc. The purpose is to sweat out the toxins in your body. That is why one is to drink lots of water for 2 days before a sweat. Also a person should not drink any alcohol before a sweat, nor smoke cigarettes and watch what you eat. This is all to lower the toxins that are recently introduced into your body. Most non-tribal (and tribal citizens too in this day and age) bodies are pretty filled with some nasty toxins. A sweat by nature is designed to pull those toxins out. So in theory one could go into toxic shock in a sweat. And it would be very unwise for someone to enter a lodge if they are medicines for an illness that might pose a reaction when you are sweating out toxins. But it is up to that person to check with their doctor, not trust the man charging admission for a sweat lodge ceremony.

A traditional ceremony is more about reflection on ones life. Usually you have four rounds (I am being very loose in my description b/c each Tribe has different specifics but in this case I hope the generalities work) in a lodge. The first round, each person is welcomed by the person running the lodge and each person says a brief hello (In non tribal lodges this is the point people give 20 minute testimonials about being sober,etc...this is not the purpose of the lodge). The session ends in prayer. Second rounds begins and it is a time to reflect on your past (maybe ask forgiveness for bad things you've done), in this round either tea is drunk (usually with herbs to help with the toxins being sweated out) or a pipe ceremony happens (tobacco, sage, cedar), a prayer is said and the session ends. The third round is focusing on today (sometimes focusing on your spirit animal who helps you in life...a guardian angel if you will), a prayer via song and session ends. The final session is reflection of moving forward (the future), tea and/or pipe, prayer and your done.

The case at hand they did 8 rounds...that right there shows this is not a traditional sweat, it was a money making venture.

To me a sweat is 1/2 hot sauna, 1/2 internal therapy session in its most basic terms.

If anyone is selling different outcomes, then they are wrong and selling false prophecies (what you describe with the racist term Woo). If they are charging admission that is the most basic sign this is not "real" or traditional. If an exchange is done, the person gives the spiritual leader tobacco, sage, or at most some water or firewood (actual things a person needs, but never cash). In all my days I have never met a traditional Indian doctor to ask someone to forgo any medical steps prescribed by a doctor to address an illness (like skipping chemo for crystals and lodges). But I have met a lot of old hippies who are nothing more than capitalists in Birks, most are Anglo-Saxon.

Finally as to the child molester question...of course not. But I also don't label every school teacher as a child molester every though 1% are. I don't call every priest a child molester even though some are. I don't stereotype and I do my best not lump an entire culture nor practice into one generality.

It would be just as if a Tribal citizen said "all white people are stupid." That person would be called out.