Lakota Elder Speaks on Sedona Deaths

Chief Looking Horse’s statement in the Rapid City Journal describes my understanding of the ’sweat lodge’. There is a purpose behind every item used on one’s spiritual journey. The fact that James Arthur Ray was charging $$ and using a PLASTIC sweat lodge is outragous. The fumes that are released from plastic when a sweat lodge reaches is optimal height are toxic. This guy should be charged w/ manslaughter!

I do not know what training James Arthur Ray has had to conduct spiritual retreats & sweatlodges, but he obviously does not know what he is doing. A sweatlodge should be constructed of natural materials, and it should never, ever be made of plastic. Also the number of people in the sweatlodge should be very limited. The ones I have observed at pagan festivals had 8 to 10 people at most, and this number also included the leader. If anyone showed any signs of distress whatsoever, they should have been removed from the sweatlodge immediately. Since James Arthur Ray had problems in previous sweatlodges with people becoming ill, he obviously did not learn from those experiences. He should be charged with 2nd degree murder.

Yah. This man wasn’t too bright. If he couldn’t figure out that PLASTIC as a sweat lodge would be harmful to his customers then I hope he gets charged. It was also the faults of those who payed for it. They also should have realized the harms of the plastic hut being used as a swea tlodge. Don’t forget they had a part in this too. They payed for it and got plastic fumes building up in their lungs. It’s not entirely Arthur Rays fault although I agree he shouldn’t have disgraced the sweat lodge tradition. Now mainstream society will find reasons to make that taboo or see that as something in bad taste.

If I had paid $10,000 to do a sweat retreat and walked up to the thing those people had built, I would have said “Are you joking?”. I’ve been to the sweatlodge in Mount Shasta (at Stewart Mineral Springs) and it is TOTALLY different! It’s made of Earth and Wood, and there is a REAL medicine man there to make sure it is done properly. And it only costs $15!
I think it is sad for these people were lead to believe they were going to do a real sweat; I also think it’s a shame there are so many self-help gurus out there who are exploiting indigenous religions for capital gain; cuz that’s all it really is, right?

I agree with the comments above. Having attended the sweatlodge ceremony and found it totally exhilerating and purifying, I would recommend it to anyone who understands what it is and what can be expected. My experience was with a Cherokee shaman and the cost was whatever you chose to donate for the time and materials plus food and ginger tea afterwards. We were prepared for the conditions, our health & any medical conditions where taken into account, and we could leave at any time during the ceremony (and many did)- no peer pressure at all. While I agree this ‘guru’ was obviously a con, it is only obvious to we who have participated as part of a sacred rebirth ritual. I feel some of the ‘blame’ must also lay with the individuals who participated, however sad that may sound. If they had researched the ceremony and known what to expect, they would have seen the materials were not at all in keeping with the ceremony and the cost was a sure red flag. The sweatlodge should never be used the way it was for it is a sacred time and experience. We can all learn a lesson from this, including and maybe most important, that each of us has a responsibility for our personal experiences and a right to refuse to participate whenever we feel uncomfortable with any situation. My heart goes out to those who have been most affected by this tragic event.

For starters I am asking myself why non trained, non- Lakota, Dakota, Nakota people are performing the sweat lodge ceremony to start with.
And why are there so many foolish people paying money to go to one?? A real medicine man or trained elder does not charge money to do any kind of ceremony. You give them a gift after as a thank you…. In my area we cook a big dinner for everyone to eat at and send dishes home with the person who performed the ceremony, we give gifts of tobacco, we give gifts of star quilts, handmade items such as jewelry etc… But never money (unless its the case of them needing gas $ to get home)!
Not one ceremony that my family has participated in did anyone give money except for gas. The man who performed the naming ceremony for my siblings and I drove almost an entire state away, so yes he got gas $, but we also had a big feed for him, and gifted him with blankets and tobacco.
We had a blessing ceremony for my sister’s miscarried baby, the person who performed the ceremony lived in the same town; again a feed, and gifts of tobacco and star quilts were made.
My mother, my aunt and uncle and several of my cousins had a naming ceremony 1 month ago. No money exchanged hands then either, he ate with us (and he took home leftovers) and was given tobacco and blankets.
In fact I know of no one on the Standing Rock reservation that charges to do any kind of ceremony. The only case be if gas $ is needed and that is done out of courtesy for traveling the distance, NOT for payment!
I don’t understand why non-Native Americans try to be above who they are and stake rights to perform ceremonies they were not taught by the appropriate person and on top of that charge money they have no right asking for. That in my eyes is akin to saying “if you pay me 10k I’ll let you play Native American with me”.
With all the new age movements going on I see non-natives attempting to take on our ceremonies in their own fashion without the right training, and their injuring people and making the sacredness of the ceremonies appear to be dangerous & life-threatening when their not!