The Essence Of Native American Sweat Lodge Ceremony

The natives of America are the oldest civilization to have existed in the land. They are the first migrants who came in the continent, passing through the land bridges from Asia. They have existed since pre-history, as far as before the Ice Age.

Some among the hundreds of these nations still exist today. However, unlike their glorious past, they are reduced to small clans. Nowadays, the descendants of those nations took pride in celebrating the survival of their heritage after their difficult journey with the white men.

The Native Americans and their way of life is the core of the persistent enduring disagreement with the European settlers. The culture of the natives is centered on frugality, devotion to their natural environment and austere universal lifestyle, in contrast to the Europeans' sense of unrestrained liberty and consumerism. There's a lot about the intricacies of the Native American culture that is difficult to understand nowadays.

A certain example of Native Americans' way of life that sparked too much media controversy is their "sweat lodge" practice. Since it resembled modern steam bath or sauna, the people involved in New age movements thought it was a mere recreational activity with an attractive cultural aesthetics in it. Thus, it resulted to the deaths of seven people as they dabble on rituals far beyond what they could have possibly known.

The incident caused enough public disaster to almost discredit the Native American way of life. But the Lakota nation defended their culture and fortunately, the US Supreme Court supported their stand and condemned the New Age practitioners. What these modernists fail to understand is that the Native American sweat lodge is not a spiritual recreation but rather a strict and carefully planned ceremony that only the well-trained people of nearly a lifetime experience should perform.

Native American sweat lodges are performed when traditional people seek to consult with the spirits. Before the individual begins with the sweat lodge one should know that it is very risky not to unburden themselves with jewelries or accessories, so they are strictly advised to be at least semi-naked. Inside the semi-airtight bivouacs, the individual would spend hours with a shaman elder or a qualified traditional consultant as they either chant or reflect in silence.

Since the Native American sweat lodge is a spiritual affair, people offer their prayers to the spirits using medicinal plants. Some very traditional tribes today put special emphasis on etiquette, following the whims and decorum of the elder inside the dome. The other members presiding in the entire affair remain outside the rudimentary dome tents to protect the ceremony and assist the novice participant.

Indeed the Native American way of life is very complex on its own and very contrary to this modern world of convenience. But even despite the unpleasant impression of their very austere culture, the 2009 incident involving their traditional sweat lodge can teach people the value of prudence, especially when it comes to things that we are not conscious about. People nowadays can even harm themselves in luxurious saunas just because they are very reckless with their own health. With proper usage, hot tubs are a step up in lifestyle. Search hot tubs online at HotTubsHomeSpa.com for special rates on home spas.