Hello, I'm an Oji-cree (Ojibwe & Cree) native from Canada, ON. As an indigenous woman in today's society, it's hard to watch non-indigenous people practice our sacred practices when done in a way that is disrespectful. However, we love to see others who are very mindful of what they are doing and are willing to pass on the knowledge of how to do it the right way. That being said, one thing that I'd like to share with you is in regards to the fire itself. In my culture, the fire for the lodge rocks needs to be cleansed and given tobacco as an offering to the creator. It is then a sacred fire, and you should not be cooking with the flames. Id suggest creating a separate fire for other purposes. :)
Hello, I’m dating an Ojibwe gentleman from Canada living in the United States….Been in his sweat lodge for the first time in December. Falling in love with him and everything he stands for. Happy days are here again ! 😊
Mi'kmaq from Nova Scotia Canada (Mi'kmaki) watched this whole video, it's nice to see this, we were allways told to never let anyone video our ceremonys but for some reason I think this is important for the times we live in things have to change in order for all humanity to survive the next 7 generations. My Dad is a retired sundancer and for years we traveled from NS canada to South Dakota to learn and bring back the sacred Sundance. The lodge is another ceremony that was given to us Mikmaq people. If you research the petroglyphs down here we have that same drawing you did on the bedford rocks that you can still go see today. I was going to be a heavy critic on this video before I watched it all, now I found my answers, keep up the red road way and reconnecting to our mother earth. Wala'lin (thank you)
Dale - Thank you very much for your kind words. Their are a great many people that struggle to have healthy loving hearts in this world. I know this not just from some people that react with negativity from such videos but also because I am a licensed therapist. We all need to search and find our own spiritual path in life. If you walk with a good heart and clear intentions there are no laws stating how you should seek and find your soulful downloads and way of expressing gratitude life. I have been lucky to seek and find many beautiful and wise mentors in life. I just want to spread good vibrations. Thank you again for your positive vibes. 🙏☀️🌿🌊
At least I'm not the one who disrespected what the elders say. Don't put these things on video. It's now these people who are going to deal with the ancestors.
Instead of animal skins, now-a-days there is leather made of pineapple, cactus, fungi, and apples even. Lots of plant sourced leather. Hemp is a great fabric, too.
I've been searching for a good ‘how to’ instructional video on how to construct a lodge. I was coming up disappointed until I found this. Easily one of the best ‘how to’ vids on here. I particularly liked your explanation of the number of willows that you used and the orientation drawing, v easy to understand. Only problem I have here in the UK is how to find igneous rocks... thanks and greetings from England, UK.
I traveled up to Mount Shasta with a pick up truck and some tobacco. I drove along a side road south of the mountain headed east. Ever so often I’d find a safe place to park the truck and take a little walk. It was a lot of work but worth it. Lots of good sweat lodge stones to be grateful for. it’s worth the daytrip
Ok, this was an unexpected and wonderful find. Thank you for sharing the clear, simple, and more NATURAL approach to building a sweat lodge. Your smile is infectious and helps spread positive vibes through your teachings. Your grounded approach with natural materials is also appreciated. I'm in the middle of recovering from major back surgery at the age of 60. My girlfriend has been amazing in supporting me through this difficult challenge. Hopefully, it will lead to a more positive life and get me back to living a full and abundant life. My purpose of building a sweat lodge is a way for me to say "thank you" to my girlfriend for all her support. After it's completed, I plan on bringing in a meditation guide and creating a special event for my girlfriend and her close friends to have a spiritual and healing sweat lodge session. Although I'm the one going through the physical pain, we're both experiencing the emotional pain of this back recovery process. So this will be, hopefully, a wonderful tool that she can use to heal as well. And just a fun, grounded experience that she can share with her close friends. Thanks again for the great video. Hoping you do more because you seem to be a natural teacher with a grounded and loving message.
Thank you so very much for your consciousness and kindness. I wish you the very best on your healing journey. Please reach out if you have any questions regarding the build. All the best man! Respectfully- Jeff Earthwalkerllc@gmail.com
I would really like to come out there and participate in a sweat with you guys. Maybe I can offer some yoga asana, kriya, meditation, and breathe work before hand?? I'm in Sacramento and travel to Bishop to climb a couple times a year. Would love to stop by for a day/night.
Wow, i am so happy to watch this. Your family of beautiful souls is something to inspire and what we need at this time of transformation. Blessings to you all, kiss the pacha mama from me 🌎❤
Use what is abundant.. bamboo are growing like mad around me.. that is what we use.. Grandmother says use what is available.. it is ok.. the intention is importance.. also bamboo has energy cleaning properties..
Hi, I am not of a Native Nation, but the beauty of your ceremonies pulls me towards wanting to be a part of them. Can I ask a serious question? Is it wrong to share your ways with others? I’d like to learn the proper ways to honor the gifts given to us and to honor the Native Nations people. Is there a way non native people can learn?
You will catch some native shit for this but not enough of their young ones are taking up the teachings of their elders. I did quite a few lodges with Wallace and Grace down here in Virginia back in the 80's. He also caught shit from his own people for sharing Lakota ceremonies with us Wasicu. Haters always gonna hate and the rest of us move on and do the work as best we can. Pila miya, kola. .
Hi. I have been very interested in the Native practice for years now. I was blessed to have lodged a few years ago, but the lodge and owner moved away from the original spot. Do you offer Invites to your sweats?
Do you have the rights to build and hold a sweat lodge? you have to be transferred rights to a lodge by another lodge keeper or bundle keeper. not just anyone can build lodges. Same goes for Sundance’s, pipes and bundle carriers.
@@keithlewis8238 doing things on his own property has nothing to do with it and obviously you know nothing of sweat lodges. Not just anyone can have them.
I was mentored by many teachers in my youth. I lived on Pine Ridge Indian reservation in South Dakota. I attended multiple Sundances. I also spent many years with Wallace Black Elk - he has now passed. I hold the ceremony with great respect.
are you serious dude, the inipi is an extremely sacred ceremony if you dont speak our language how could the ancestor come and assist if your not speaking the old the old language? they font understand English or Spanish, any European language. your making a sauna nothing more. your absolutely not putting together the redmans ceremony. now i say this because so many have misled those who have no way of knowing. respect the redman, we of the four directions are still out here.
As many languages as there are in the world, there are that many words used for the name of God/Creator. Lakota is one of those thousands of dialects. Wakan Tanka is not the only name to pray to for guidance and healing. It is a powerful one in your tradition but please don't make the mistake of deciding whose prayers deserve to be answered based on the names of the Gods/Creator beings they use or the language they use to pray in. It seems to me that you need to crawl back into your Inipi ceremony and ask the Creator to help you with your arrogance and your incorrect judgments of others. Aho, kola.
Brother, your intentions are honorable, however, traditionally before we put up a lodge, we ask the spirits for permission and guidance. Your teachings are so offensive. Pray for a teacher/holy man to show up in your path for guidance. Blessings
You need to go back and read his responses to other commenters who voiced a similar concern. He has all the permission he needs from his teachers. Pay attention before you fly off the spiritual handle.
Do not buy your stones for the lodge. Look for them in the natural environment where you live. Offer tobacco for EVERY stone you take from the earth. Do not throw them around or drop them against each other. If a stone falls off the pitchfork when you are bringing in the stones from the fire, put it back into the fire and select another one. Each stone that comes in the lodge should be blessed with a small pinch of cedar on top of it after it is in place. We build lodges out of bamboo all the time. It is very strong and the smaller diameter stalks bend fairly easily (not as pliable as willow). It also regenerates every year so you won't deplete an area by using other species of trees that may not be as abundant.
Jeff your production quality keeps getting better with each video. Pretty soon your videos will be ending with shout outs to your Patreon supporters, curiosity stream, and skillshare instead of just your gratitude to your “loving wife” and production assistant. Looking forward to the next mini doc:
Nice pitchfork injun, I kid I kid everything was so authentic then all of a sudden ,pitchfork , nice video btw I will be trying this soon , Thank you 🦅
Thank you very much, I feel I am being called to the sweat lodge. Sometimes I want to know what spirits I carry with me. When I was a kid I could see spirits on people, I want to know what children are seen when they look at me? Perhaps the wisdom of the sweat lodge will teach me. The lava rock info was very helpful among the rest.
The stones as you say are our grandfathers and grandmother's. They have no eyes or ears yet are all knowing as they have been around for millions of years. Please offer tobacco to Mother Earth, to the stone people when doing these ceremonies.
Not traditional, but I've often seen the iron plates from old rail ties used in place of rocks. They work exceedingly well and aren't going to explode in case someone chooses a wrong rock.
If everyone could be a bit more like you, what a profoundly more grounded and abundant world it would be, thank you for your gratitude and reverence and for sharing your knowledge and this process ✌💚 from the tropics of Australia
I live with a large moose population and they love willow. The result is that there are no wild willow that the moose don’t eat every winter in order to stay alive. The eating of the willow has a coppicing and pollarding affect which creates much more branching and thus more forage in the following winter. Result is no long straight willow.
That is something you have to find an answer to from within. I have spent a great deal of time with native cultures throughout the world. I have found that some cultures are very sensitive to you using their customs and others are more open. I would say the most important thing is your intent when using cultural customs. Many traditional native Americans would take offense to using such practices without reverence and respect to customs and spiritual in mind.
The sweats I used to attend in Ferndale, California were led by Steve Courtemanche and his wife Nancy. They were done in the manner taught to him on his many trips to the Lakota Reservation at Pine Ridge. It was very healing at a time when I really needed it. The tobacco was difficult because I had stopped smoking a few years earlier, I tried not to inhale.
The tobacco is there for a reason, A different purpose than what you were seeking through smoking it, It's rough, i promise, you will hardly get sick though my friend
Wow! Just the Sweat Lodge how-to I wanted to find 😊 I’ve been wanting to build one for ages. Glad to know about the igneous rock-I would’ve just used river stone because I don’t know any better. Thanks! But I have no idea where would be a good place for me to harvest willow. Would it still work if I used more layers of canvas and skip the wool blankets? Great video, that was actually pretty relaxing with the drums and flute...
I lived on Pine Ridge Indian reservation in South Dakota for a while. I also spent time with an elder name Wallace Black Elk. I also hung out with some Sun Dancers.
I am truly speechless and my heart is overjoyed with this find. I love how you try to use all natural things and even the fire start, with no matches!! This is what makes it so hard for me to live in the city.. not being able to find all the natural things I need. Confirmations continue to come to me. Thank you so much for your kindness and the way you honor all things. Since the making of this video, do you have any ceremonies you offer to visitors? TIA
Great video!!! You have a very peaceful and calming way about explaining things. I will be honest, I have no interest in sweat lodges.... yet I watched the entire video and subscribed hahah Good stuff man!
It takes maybe five minutes of focused work to start the fire with an ancient handrail. Then the rocks must cook for at least 1 to 2 hours. You know when they’re ready when you see them glowing inside the fire.
Depends on how well you’ve heated the proper stones. Depending on the size of the stones and how long you’ve had them they will keep steaming for anywhere from 15 minutes to 45 minutes. Usually, you have several rounds where are you add rocks in a timely manner.
Midewin in Michigan, This Is Not Good! Lodge teachings is a hands on years years, There are RIGHTS of passage for this Sacred Ceremony. Whoever chooses to build a Lodge BETTER Be prepared for Outcome if shit goes Bad. This Is Not a Sauna people. It's One Of OUR Oldest Teachings and is meant to be Honored & Respected with Medicines. Disappointing to see video on this...
Then ...the first thing I recommend you do is walk your path the best way your compass guides you. Seek out the Spiritual mentorships that enrich your life and most of all be of service giving value and love to the world. Be a good human- the world needs that!
Everything we do in our daily lives comes from another culture on this earth that was borrowed by another culture and passed on since the dawn of humanity. Good luck even daring to move with that amount of disconnected Wokeness hanging over your head.
Basalt works very well. There are lots of local stones that can be used. Do NOT use anything with quartz in it. Sandstone will fall apart in the fire. Carefully experiment with the stone in your area. Contrary to popular myth, there are many stones found in streams and rivers which also work quite well. The above opinions are based on 44 years of doing lodges of various traditions with stone in different parts of the world. Time tested.
Thank you for this! You are doing well and this is exactly what I need ❤ so much respect and I appreciate that you are doing it in a good way! Enaa baasee'