"It was a sunny, windy day. Anna stood beside the sweat lodge. Her dark hair blew in the wind as she talked and motioned with her hands. We stood away from the sweat lodge. The small dome, covered with canvas, was closed up waiting for use. You could tell that as Anna talked, this was her way of life, and she knew it well.
This is some of what she told us: The inipi ceremony is a prayer ceremony that begins with the heating of rocks called Grandfathers. The rocks are laid ceremoniously in a pit in front of the lodge and heated red-hot.
After the participants have filled their Sacred Pipes, they enter. If there are men and women, the women enter first, followed by the men. They sit in a circle around the empty pit. There are four stages called "doors," which is the number of times the doors (or flaps of the lodge) are opened and closed.
The ceremony in each stage differs with the leader of the sweat.
Sweat lodges are not good places for people who are claustrophobic. I have seen grown men and women holler to be let out after one door, and I have seen people scramble out of the sweat without ceremony and run away. There are sweats that are not for beginners; but then again, some beginners do well in any sweat.
When all is said and done, it is an unforgettable experience with awesome visions for many.
It is this experience that Anna Little Ghost shared with the community, and we are thankful for her generous and kind spirit."
Get the Story:Dorreen Yellow Bird: Sweat ceremony: Unforgettable (The Grand Forks Herald 6/9)
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