My Ate’ nicknamed me Matowin for a reason.
I tend to growl and roar when something angers me. But after a bit, I can calm down and think more rationally and then give the reasons why I was mad and why I feel something is wrong.
I originally wrote a blog post on my website shortly after the sweat lodge deaths in Sedona, Arizona. I was going to run that post this week since Dateline ran a story on the situation on Saturday June 11, 2010. But, after re-reading my website post, I felt that, while my points are justified and valid, they don’t express what I am really trying to say. So here is the addendum to my original post: “The Sweat Lodge deaths: My Lakota perspective.”
Okay, first of all, I need to let you know that while the majority of the world calls it a sweat lodge, to Lakotas our ceremony is known as the Inipi, a purification ceremony. With that in mind, this man was doing nothing more than a sweat lodge. He is not a medicine man, he has no tribal affiliation, and was not given an altar by the creator. I will continue to call it a sweat lodge in this article because to call it an Inipi would be like calling a lion a mouse.
Second, there are many other tribes that do sweat lodges but who don’t call them Inipis; they have their own culturally significant word. I’m using my words and my references because I am a Lakota, and this is my perspective.
Now, I’m angry at this [James] R
ay guy because he is a white man trying to replicate a Lakota ceremony known to us as an Inipi — a Lakota ceremony that is first and foremost a sacred ceremony given to us by the White Buffalo Calf woman who brought us our seven sacred ceremonies. These seven ceremonies are exactly that, sacred. We are not to talk out of context about them, meaning, what happens in Inipi, stays in Inipi. We are not to film them, record them, “expose” (read: exploit) them to the outside world. We are NOT to take money when performing them; they are a sacred meeting between individuals and the creator.
I know how very fiercely many wasicus guard their organized religions, so let’s take that, think about whatever ceremonial-type things or religious rituals you do or have, and then have someone who is not of that religion come in and do the most sacrilegious thing to that particular ritual. How would that make you feel?
Third, there are rules, if you will, of what you can and can’t ask for in a sweat lodge. You cannot ask for money. So, this pompous jerk makes his strike two right there, which only ups my anger at him.
Now, in order for Ray to have been able to run this “sweat lodge”, he had to have been in one. See, this is the problem when people go into our ceremonies with the wrong idea, wrong intent, wrong place. He had NO right to run that. Yet he did. He probably doesn’t know a anymore of the Lakota Inipi than I know of how it feels to be a pumpkin.
Okay, this is clearly going to have to a multi-part piece.
In Part 2, I will talk more about how the resort where the ceremony was held should be responsible for this. I will also talk about some ideas on how the people all ended up there, and why things went so terribly wrong.
*Wasicu: “taker of the fat”
Photo Credit
Photos by Mary Black Bonnet
just saw this site and checked out, there are many natives and non-natives saddened over the Sedona incident. your anger is justified my sister. I do have the need to say a few things tho: knowledge is wakan, it has the power to create or destroy. the black robes changed the meaning of wakan to sound Christianized and defined it as sacred. yes it is to be respected. my understanding is the black robes were called wasicun because they “bring a message”. the word for takes the fat is wasiniku. wasin means bacon, iku means to take. wa makes a thought a noun and sicun is a “spirit”. now wasicun is rez slang for whites. knowledge can go far to teach use it wisely. check out William K. Powers “Sacred Language” for greater detail on definitions and also Albert White Hat Sr. Zuya-Lifes Journey”. both are full of more info. knowledge is wakan!
Beautiful words from a beautiful soul. Love you Tuwin. xoxoxo
The point illuminates within your answer.
I wonder where this James Ray learned about the inipi (sweat lodge). In the “real” traditional sweat lodge we have four – repeat 4 rounds not 12. I can’t imagine living through 12 rounds – outrageous!!. James Ray’s attempt to have this sacred ceremony seems ridiculous. Nobody has ever gotten hurt, sick or died in our ceremonies. Anyone can leave anytime during the 4 rounds. It is a time of prayer, and purification of mind, body and spirit – it is not an endurance contest as it seems this James R thought it to be. I hope that people have learned from this. My condolenses to the families who lost loved ones. It is a very sad thing.
I am a spiritual teacher. The James Arthur Ray story is a living myth, an ongoing parable for us to learn from. The truly wise among us will not use our chi/dkundalini/essence to rise in anger against this man. We will use the living myth to look inside ourselves at our Inner James Arthur Ray and make sure that our spiritual teachings will not be corrupted by the arrogance, superficiality, and misguided egotism that lives in all of us, and of which James Ray is the Living Archetype. Remember: he -meant- well. Anger and emotional finger pointing and words like “pompous jerk” are a sign of unresolved Dark Shadow issues in the individual and tribal psyche. It is one thing to point out how Ray departed from–was ignorant of–true Native Traditions. It is another thing to be angry and self-righteous. No one -owns- a spiritual tradition, not in my religion, not in yours. I have been to sweat lodges conducted by hauli’s that were respectful, profound, and deeply concordant with Great Spirit/God/Goddess/All That Is even tho they were not technically inipis. Learn compassion. It is the way of all holiness.
Michael,
no, it has nothing to do with sin, sacrilige, or anything like that.
The Lakota translation for Wasicu is: “Taker of the fat.” It is an old word, the original word for a white person.
And what do you want me to say more on, what I say about the way many wasicu’s guard their organized religions?
Your explanation of the original meaning of the word now makes it clear what is meant…I appreciate the meaning in its brevity and its breadth….especially in this context. thank you for taking the time to illuminate some of the hard truths of the story….
“I know how very fiercely many wasicus guard their organized religions…” given the meaning as you provide it…please say more…’fat’ must be like forms of sin or sacrilege….the body expressing the “disoder’ of the heart?