Modern Sweat Lodge Practices

 

Modern Sweat Lodge Practices




At Barnhouse,  Structure 8 has good evidence that it was built to function as a sweat Lodge. There may be as many as three other sweat lodges on the Orkney Archipelago. 


Sweat Lodges in present cultures may help us to understand better the culture of Neolithic people in Orkney. 


“Sweat lodges are heated dome-shaped structures used by Indigenous peoples during certain purification rites and as a way to promote healthy living. The intense heat generated — often by steam created from pouring water onto heated rocks — is meant to encourage a sweating out of toxins and negative energy that create disorder and imbalance in life. In this way, the sweat lodge ceremony cleanses the body, mind and soul.

Each sweat lodge is slightly different, depending on the community or person who operates it, and the purpose for which it is used. For example, some sweat lodge ceremonies are restricted to men, women, children or members of certain clans; at other times, the lodge is open to all. There are also sweats specific to fasting rituals, or in celebration of the Sun Dance and other cultural traditions.

Despite these differences, there are important commonalities among sweat lodge ceremonies. Most importantly, the sweat lodge is a sacred place, likened to the womb of Mother Earth. Sweats are therefore deeply spiritual and cultural experiences for many people. For this reason, sweat lodges are run by special operators — sometimes called keepers, and oftentimes an elder or healer — who are well versed in traditional healing and sweat lodge practices. The operator knows how to conduct sweats safely and effectively, and for various purposes. The great majority of conductors do not charge a fee to participate in the sweat lodge, although it is customary to offer them cloth or tobacco for their services. The purpose of the sweat lodge is not to generate revenue, but to heal and cleanse. Elders strongly caution against those who disguise themselves as healers, but are not trained in the sacred teachings. Non-traditional sweats can be dangerous. On 8 October 2009, for example, three sweat lodge participants died at a New Age “Spiritual Warrior” retreat near Sedona, Arizona.

Historically, there were two sweating techniques reflected in lodge construction. Indigenous peoples in Alaska, California and parts of Central America used a system of direct exposure to fire within the confines of a small, often semi-subterranean (partially underground) structure. The more common system, used by most Indigenous peoples in Canada, was to heat stones in a fire, place them inside a small, domed structure draped with buffalo or deer hides, and pour water on them to produce steam. Direct fire sweathouses doubled as men’s houses, but steam lodges were often used by a single person.

Today, sweat lodges heated by the steam of hot rocks are the most common. The majority of modern structures are made out of wood, covered with tarps and blankets. Tobacco is usually placed somewhere underneath the structure’s base. Altars and the sacred place where the heated rocks are kept before the ceremony are kept outside the structure. The direction of the lodge’s doorway often faces east, but this differs depending on the conductor; some teachings indicate that the doorway should face another direction or that its direction should change throughout the year. 

Conductors will indicate how to best prepare for a sweat. Usually, participants will be told to abstain from alcohol and drugs beforehand. After making an offering to the conductor, participants also make offerings to the altar outside the lodge, and to the Grandmothers and Grandfathers — the heated rocks — before entering the sweat lodge. The fire keeper is in charge of heating the rocks and placing them inside the fire pit in the centre of the lodge. Other items are also placed inside the lodge, such as water (used to pour onto the rocks, thereby creating steam), tobacco (a sacred offering), medicines (certain herbs), and musical shakers and drums (used during prayers).

Once inside, participants sit in a circle around the fire pit for a length of time determined by the conductor and depending on the purpose of the sweat; often, this is a few hours. The fire keeper closes the door before the ceremony begins. Music is played and prayers are recited throughout the ceremony, inviting healing spirits into the lodge. In turn, participants are asked to talk about themselves and their reasons for using the lodge — this is their opportunity to speak to the Creator, to share their personal stories and to meditate on life. At the end of the ceremony, the conductor says prayers to thank the Creator and spirits. Elders might also smoke sacred pipes at this point. The fire keeper then opens the door to the lodge.”

René R. Gadacz in the Canadian Encyclopedia  





“In one form or another, the sweat bath has been practiced in many Native North American Tribes, from the Inuit in the north, to the Navajo in the Midwest, the Sioux/Lakota/Cree in the plains, the Mickmaq in the East and all the way down south into the land of the Mayans (Bruchac). This sacred religious/healing ceremony has been in practice for thousands of years. The purpose usually went far beyond cleaning the body. The sweat bath (Sweat lodge) provided a cure for illness, revitalization for aching muscles, and a sense of identity for Natives participating in and reclaiming their culture. It heals the mind, the body, the emotions and the soul. Finally the Sweat lodge is a holy place where we can connect and communicate with Creator (God), the Spirit Helpers (comparable to the angels and others depending on your spiritual or religious practices) and our ancestors (our grandmothers and grandfathers and all the generations who came before us).

The Sweat lodge is used as a place of teaching, planning, praying, singing, and communing with others. Furthermore, a sweat is often performed in preparation for other rites, and as a means of returning to the non-ritual world after the completion of other holy ceremonies such as the Sun Dance, the Ghost Dance or the Winter Dance ceremonies. “ 

(The author continues, describing in detail the building of the Sweat Lodge and the process and management of the ceremonies) 


The Eagle Spirit Society


*




This is one of a loosely attached group of blogs called the "Orkney Riddle".

The key blog to the group is called the "Neolithic Immigrants to Britain" 


Sources

All views and opinions expressed are my own, but it remains a work-in-progress for which positive criticism and comment is welcomed.


Jeffery Nicholls 


South Ronaldsay 


Orkney 


Jiffynorm@yahoo.co.uk 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Orkney Vole

Image
The Orkney Vole " Much debate surrounds the origins of the Orkney vole Microtus arvalis orcadensis (Yalden 1999; Corbet 1961). It is the only vole on Orkney and is found on eight islands, while in mainland Britain the field vole (M. agrestis) is the only Microtus species. M. arvalis and M. agrestis occur widely across continental Europe with overlapping distributions (Mitchell-Jones et al 2003). It is therefore clear that M. arvalis did not colonise Orkney naturally (Haynes et al 2003; Haynes et al 2004), and although modern consensus supports a human introduction during the Neolithic (Hedges et al 1987), their geographic origin and mechanisms of introduction still remain uncertain ." (Thomas Cucchi et al)    Summary of evidence from peer reviewed science for the migration of the Orkney Vole from mainland Europe to Orkney.  Quoted from:- THE CHANGING PACE OF INSULAR LIFE: 5000 YEARS OF MICROEVOLUTION IN THE ORKNEY VOLE (MICROTUS ARVALIS ORCADENSIS) by Thomas Cucchi...
Read more

Neolithic Migration to Orkney

Image
  The Story of the Neolithic Migration to Orkney  The Neolithic people of Britain were a nomadic group of cultures that entered the country from the Dutch region of northern Europe from before 7000 years ago until after 6000 years ago. They came on foot, across a land bridge that is now shallow water between Holland and East Anglia, in England.  These people brought with them a suite of technologies ,  including pottery, domesticated animals, landscape structures, economic systems, community activities, timber joinery, structural engineering, and small-scale industries. They had boats , but these were limited to dugout canoes for use on inland waters, lakes, harbours, and perhaps for crossing rivers. These were people who had arrived in Northern Europe from the south, gathering in the Scheldt valley. As a group of various peoples we call these the Swifterbant Culture , and it was much later that the various groups included here, having established mobile populati...
Read more

Archaeology in the North Sea

Image
  Archaeology in the North Sea   The Orkney Vole is thought to have been imported, by uncertain means, to the archipelago from mainland Europe without setting foot on mainland Britain.  How this happened is a bit of a mystery.  Summary A complex series of shallow inland seas "The Marr Bank Lagoon" were carved out along the east coast of Britain from about 70,000BP. They were not directly connected to the Norwegian Channel or the Norwegian Coast, but were separated from it by a ridge of land , north from Dogger Bank to the Atlantic Ocean.  In this period from 70,000BP to 40,000BP the mountains of northern England and Scotland were capped with thick snow, and the Shetland icecap was in a continual condition of collapse, blocking the Marr Bank Lagoon   at the north.  The Marr Bank Lagoon was surrounded by a shoreline which was backed onto the icesheet on all sides. Evidence suggests that the Lagoon did not freeze over. At around 40,000BP animals and ...
Read more