I don't think this article has been published before.
My friends, Dan and Mary Lou Smoke, and I attended the opening day of the Ipperwash Inquiry in Forest, Ontario, April 20, 2004. The Elder-in-residence was Lillian Pitawanakwat, Birch Island First Nation, who on the next day asked Dan if he could arrange a sweat. This was set for Thursday evening, and to my surprise and delight I was invited to take part, a great honour because while I have heard of sweats for many years, I have never experienced one! Still, I spent a sleepless Wednesday night thinking of all the reasons why I, at 81 years of age, should perhaps not take such a risk. The next day, Dan said he had arranged a ride for me so I spent the rest of that day experiencing all the positives of putting myself into the hands of loving and trusted Aboriginal people and from then on, just went with the flow.
I was picked up by about 8 p.m. Thursday - and did not arrive home until 3:30 a.m. Friday so it was an exciting and powerful time! It was dark by the time we reached the location about an hour’s drive west from London. From the lighted farmyard, we drove part way, then walked to the gathering place. We had a flashlight, but my eyes had to get used to the dark, and my ears to the sound of frogs and other creatures singing at the top of their lungs in a pond alongside the lane. It was a happy, welcoming sound, creating the sense that Mother Earth was indeed stirring with new life on this cloudy, cool spring night.
We came to a clearing in the bush where a large sacred fire was burning, with the stones (Grandfathers/Grandmothers) circling it, heating up for the work they were to do later. Some men were already there since one or two, with their helpers, were engaged in a four-day fast. They would remain outside the sweat lodge, engaged in their own activities, but we were able to visit while waiting for the others to arrive. I was happy to see that almost all of them were young men from the urban and First Nations communities whom I had known now for many years so it was good to renew acquaintance, and they seemed glad to see me.
There was one other non-Aboriginal person, a man, who was also experiencing his first sweat and I was honoured to be sharing this time with him, since I know he has been working tirelessly in support of Aboriginal justice issues for most of his career, and also that he is from the Christian faith, as I am. There were others involved in the Ipperwash Inquiry and so it was easy for me to hold that event and the people involved in my thoughts and prayers throughout the sweat.
Finally, we were all assembled and it was time to enter the lodge. The women had changed into “granny gowns”, a light, loose-fitting garment (of their own choice) covering them to their toes, and the men into swim shorts. Tobacco ties were offered to the sweat conductor, and we crawled into a space of about 10 by 12 feet, and about three to four feet high, constructed with “ribs” of saplings over which tarps and blankets had been placed. The “floor” was covered with cedar boughs, surprisingly soft and springy to sit on.. I sat with my knees-to-chin for about three hours, quite astounded that I could be so relaxed and at ease in such a position for such a prolonged period of time.
There were times when the door was left open so there was some light from the fire outside, or the sweat conductor turned on a shaded flashlight to allow the Grandfathers/Grandmothers to be brought in, three, four, or seven at a time, and placed in the fire pit in the centre of the lodge. At other times the door was closed and we sat in total darkness. I felt a sense of great peace, and a feeling of being close to other people in ways that I have rarely experienced before. Not that we were touching physically for we were not, but there was energy and power flowing from one to another of us within that sacred space, bringing a wonderful sense of oneness and peace and connectedness. I think I will never again look at those people in quite the same way. I think we have shared a sacred moment which binds us together as brothers and sisters which will forever colour the way I see them and experience their friendship in the rest of my days.
As the hot stones were placed in the lodge, the conductor sprinkled pinches of medicine on them - they sparkled briefly and smelled wonderful!
We smoked the pipe of peace, brought in by pipe-carriers in our midst and passed from one to the other. Then they were handed to the firekeeper to place on the altar outside. We were fed with strawberries - the first fruit of Mother Earth - soaked in maple syrup, the first cleansing liquid of the maple tree. Delicious! We shared water, the lifeblood of Mother Earth, passed from one to the other in the circle. Then the door was closed and in total darkness, the conductor prayed in her language, and then explained to us about the prayers to the East, the direction of new life, new birth, of children and new growth. We sang a song in Ojibwe accompanied by drums and rattles.
Three more times the red hot stones were brought in, and each time the sweat conductor sprinkled medicines, prayed to the south, the west and the north, and then poured water on the stones which created steam which became hotter as time went on. It was easy to see where the name “sweat” came from. The water simply ran off me in rivulets!
Each direction has a colour, a medicine, an animal, and is representative of a part of the circle of life of the Anishnabe - children, new birth in the east; woman, teenagers’ growth and energy in the south; middle-age, the gaining of knowledge and living in the west; and the wisdom of the elders, the Grandfathers/Grandmothers, the Great Spirit in the north; and so the circle of life begins again.
We were instructed to pray for the people; and then for special needs of the people we knew; and then for ourselves. I prayed for my people in particular, that we would one day learn to open our hearts and minds to some understanding of our Aboriginal brothers and sisters, their culture and traditions and spiritual values. I felt the Great Mystery in our midst, in the soft, gentle voice of the conductor and her obvious concern for our well-being and comfort as we sat curled within that black, womb-like structure. I felt at peace.
Eventually, it was over, and time to open the door, crawl out into the cloudy night, the sacred fire now beginning to fade to embers. I was glad of a strong hand to help me to my feet as I emerged, but I felt fine physically, and mentally alert and relaxed at the same time. I was happy that I had been able to experience this part of my Aboriginal friends’ lives which is so important to them and helps to bring them back to the people - the Anishnabe - the Great Spirit created them to be.
For myself, I was immensely grateful for the quiet sense of loving concern which the young people showed me - especially the young women with whom I drove to and from the sweat. If I had been doing this all my life, that would perhaps have shown itself in other ways, but as a person from outside the culture, experiencing a sweat for the first time in my old age, it seemed to me to be somehow very special for I am usually intensely proud and independent!
We changed our clothes, and gathered in the home of our hosts for a potluck feast which ended about 2:30 a.m. with some pleasant visiting and final farewells (in Aboriginal languages there is no word for “goodbye” - only “until we meet again - In Ojibwe “kaa waab min”).
And so “chi miigwech” and “kaa waab min” - “thank you, until we meet again”.
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Jean Koning
London, Ontario
April 26, 2004
