Sweat Lodge
The sweat lodge ceremony is one of the most common ceremonies practiced by Native American people. Sweats may be conducted as a preliminary to other activities, such as a fast. Sweats may also be done for healing. The purpose behind all of these, however, is simple spiritual cleansing. The lodge is designed to provide a safe, sacred place where the participants can concentrate on the spirits that are invited to the ceremony. These spirits are brought in with the 'grandfathers', which are the stones that are heated in the fire. Splashing water on the grandfathers creates steam, and we then have all four elements present in the lodge: earth below, air around, fire in the grandfathers and water in the steam.
The Sacred Pipe
The sacred pipe, often referred to mistakenly as the 'peace pipe,' is one of the most powerful and sacred objects for Native Americans. By using the pipe, we may communicate with the spirits and make our needs known, asking for the things we need in our lives. It is used in sweat lodge ceremonies.
