Native Elder Chief Arvol Looking Horse Addresses Deaths In Sweat LodgeChief Arvol Looking Horse Speaks OutBy All Nations Indigenous Native American Indian Cultural CenterNative Elder Addresses Deaths In Sweat Lodge
A white man, James Arthur Ray, who owns a company called Spiritual Warrior charges 60 people almost $10,000 each, or more than a half a million dollars, then directs them not to eat or drink for three days before allowing them to cook in a sweat lodge. Each person is then allowed only a space equivalent to two foot by 3 foot space to sit until they “see the light” or die! His Twitter site even says “something must die before something new can be born”How many things are wrong here? Well first this traditional Native American event is truly a spiritual event, not a “For Profit Event”. Second, the true event is held by a person of native indian descent who have knowledge and understandings of the nature of the spiritual journey. It appears that once again greed interfered with common sense. Why would anyone pay these outrages fees to be conducted by someone who doesn’t even know or understand the spiritual meaning or significance?One must ask what James Arthur Ray, a self proclaimed wealth builder, of non Native American descent, from southern California has to do with Native American spiritual growth? Ray's company, James Ray International, is based in Carlsbad, California and brags of raising profits of over 500% last year. He holds two hour wealth building seminars around the country for up to 2000 people for $2000 per person, that’s 2 million an hour, not bad!What do Native Americans have to say about this? We had to ask. So we’ve contacted the spokesperson for the Native American Indian Cultural Center. In general they are appalled and insulted that anyone would take their age old spiritual tradition and turn it into a Greed Mongers’ Money Grabbing Machine and on top of that abuse it in such an insane way that people would put their life on the line.A spokesperson of the nonprofit cultural center in the heart of the Black Hills of South Dakota called All Nations Indigenous Native American Indian Cultural Center said this is one of the reason we are trying to help by educating everyone about the history of Native Americans. We wish to accurately inform the general public as to our traditions. Sweat lodges are not games to be played with by people that do not have the understanding of their use in spiritual journeys, quests or healing.Our hearts go out to the families of the people that have been affective in a negative way over this mater.Arvol Looking Horse, a 19th Generation, Keeper of our Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe, says, “I am concerned for the 2 deaths and illnesses of the many people that participated in a sweat lodge in Sedona, Arizona that brought our sacred rite under fire in the news. I would like to clarify that this lodge and many others, are not our ceremonial way of life, because of the way they are being conducted. My prayers go out for their families and loved ones for their loss.Our ceremonies are about life and healing, from the time this ancient ceremonial rite was given to our people, never has death been a part of our inikag¹a (life within) when conducted properly. Today the rite is interpreted as a sweat lodge, it is much more than that. So the term does not fit our real meaning of purification.Inikaga is the oldest ceremony brought to us by Wakan Tanka (Great Spirit). 19 generations ago, the Lakota/Dakota/Nakota Oyate (people), were given seven sacred rites of healing by a Spirit Woman Pte San Win (White Buffalo Calf Woman). She brought these rites along with our sacred C¹anupa (pipe) to our People, when our ancestors were suffering from a difficult time. It was also brought for the future to help us for much more difficult times to come. They were brought to help us stay connected to who we are as a traditional cultural People. The values of conduct are very strict in any of these ceremonies, because we work with spirit. The way the Creator, Wakan Tanka told us; that if we stay humble and sincere, we will keep that connection with the inyan oyate (the stone people), who we call the Grandfathers, to be able to heal ourselves and loved ones. We have a ³gift² of prayer and healing and have to stay humble with our Unc¹i Maka (Grandmother Earth) and with one another. The inikag¹a is used in all of the seven sacred rites to prepare and finish the ceremonies, along with the sacred eagle feather. The feather represents the sacred knowledge of our ancestors.Our First Nations People have to earn the right to pour the mini wic¹oni (water of life) upon the inyan oyate (the stone people) in creating Inikag¹a - by going on the vision quest for four years and four years Sundance. Then you are put through a ceremony to be painted - to recognize that you have now earned that right to take care of someone¹s life through purification. They should also be able to understand our sacred language, to be able to understand the messages from the Grandfathers, because they are ancient, they are our spirit ancestors. They walk and teach the values of our culture; in being humble, wise, caring and compassionate.What has happened in the news with the make shift sauna called the sweat lodge is not our ceremonial way of life!When you do ceremony - you can not have money on your mind. We deal with the pure sincere energy to create healing that comes from everyone in that circle of ceremony. The heart and mind must be connected. When you involve money, it changes the energy of healing. The person wants to get what they paid for; the Spirit Grandfathers will not be there, our way of life is now being exploited! You do more damage than good. No² mention² of monetary energy should exist in healing, not even with a can of love donations. When that energy exists, they will not even come. Only after the ceremony, between the person that is being healed and the Intercessor who has helped connect with the Great Spirit, the energy of money can be given out of appreciation. That exchange of energy is from the heart; it is private and does not involve the Grandfathers! Whatever gift of appreciation the person who received the help, can now give the Intercessor whatever they feel their healing is worth.In our Prophesy of the White Buffalo Calf Woman, she told us that she would return and stand upon the earth when we are having a hard time. In 1994 this began to happen with the birth of the white buffalo, not only their nation, but many animal nations began to show their sacred color, which is white. She predicted that at this time there would be many changes upon Grandmother Earth. There would be things that we never experienced or heard of before; climate changes, earth changes, diseases, disrespect for life and one another would be shocking and there would be also many false prophets!My Grandmother that passed the bundle to me said I would be the last Keeper if the Oyate (people) do not straighten up. The assaults upon Grandmother Earth are horrendous, the assaults toward one another was not in our culture, the assaults against our People (Oyate) have been termed as genocide, and now we are experiencing spiritual genocide!Because of the problems that began to arise with our rebirth of being able to do our ceremonies in the open since the Freedom of Religion Act of 1978, our Elders began talking to me about the abuses they seen in our ceremonial way of life, which was once very strict. After many years of witnessing their warnings, we held a meeting to address this very issue of lack of protocol in our ceremonies. After reaching an agreement of addressing the misconduct of our ceremonies and reminding of the proper protocols, a statement was made in March 2003. Every effort was made to insure our way of life of who we are as traditional cultural People was made, because these ways are for our future and all life upon the Grandmother Earth (Mitakuye Oyasin All my relations), so that they may have good health.Because these atrocities are being mocked and practiced all over the world, there was even a film we made called “Spirits for Sale”. The non-native people have a right to seek help from our ³First NationIntercessors² for good health and well-being, it is up to that Intercessor. That is a privilege for all People that we gift for being able to have good health and understand that their protocol is to have respect and appreciate what we have to share. The First Nations Intercessor has to earn that right to our ceremonial way of life in the ways I have explained.
At this time, I would like to ask All Nations upon Grandmother Earth to please respect our sacred ceremonial way of life and stop the exploitation of our Tunka Oyate (Spiritual Grandfathers).In a Sacred Hoop of Life, there is no ending and no beginning!”
Namah¹u yo (hear my words),Arvol Looking Horse,19th Generation Keeper of the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe Bundle.
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Here's a nice announcement from SNAG MAGAZINE! If you're 24 years of age and under (no exceptions) and very musical, a creative writer and more - read on! SNAG MAGAZINE is popular among the progressive young world - and so promoting your musical work here is good for developing your fan base, or as a writer, good for developing a following with people of like mind. Check out my favorite mag led by young people - progressive & Native and who've come up in the Justice movement...
The new SNAG MAGAZINE website is created by the amazing David Marques! It's still a work-in-progress with many elements left to go, but we wanted to share it with you all so you can spread the word about our upcoming issue! .CLICK HERE FOR SNAG MAGAZINE !The OCCUPATION Issue...As you may know, SNAG recently returned from Palestine - where we brought some young and older members of our staff along with Huaxtec youth and students from Haskell Indian University in Kansas to do cultural/arts/media exchange.In our next issue, we're going to be publishing stories and photos from the youth living under military occupation in Palestine - who know the direct connection between what is happening to them and what happened to Native people. We will be sharing the connections between our history and their present - from genocide to relocation to I.D. cards and religious persecution.The issue will also feature stories from young Indigenous people who traveled to Guatemala recently on a delegation, and from young urban Natives in the San Francisco Bay Area who are participating in SNAG's new round of workshops.How can you contribute? If you're a Native youth (ages 24 and under, no exceptions) send us your photos, pictures, drawings, graffiti, writing, poetry about the theme of Living Under Occupation. What did your family, grandparents experience? What do you experience today as a young Native person? What do you see as the result of Occupation in the land, in your cultural practices?Email us at snagmagazine@yahoo.com! Send writing as word documents and your images saved very large (300 resolution and at least 5" by 3").ARE YOU A MUSICIAN?Send us your song to be considered for the SNAG compilation CD. Either email your MP3, or mail us a CD to:SNAG Magazine Attn: RossP.O. Box 40597San Francisco CA 94140HAKU! Warm Greetings Relatives!I would like to thank the Kanaka Maoli for welcoming me! We are all very blessed to be Indigenous people - and to be the keepers of Mother Earth! Also thank you for reading here.I have just one statement and one request for you today. Remember "the road to the Great Mystery is FREE!".And please don't dress you children in headbands and feathers for Halloween.CLICK HERE FOR MORE CHIEF ARVOL LOOKING HORSE !CLICK HERE FOR DECLARATION AGAINST EXPLOITERS OF LAKOTA SPIRITUALITYCLICK HERE FOR CNN on Sweat lodge deaths investigated as homicidesNovember
