Inipi, the Lakota Sweat Lodge Ceremony
Shawn Peverill
ANT351: Anthropology of Religion, Magic and Ritual
Instructor: Katie Bojakowski
July 23, 2014

Inipi, the Lakota Sweat Lodge Ceremony In this paper, I will be conducting research at a fellow Spiritual Leaders ceremony his name is Ed Fox, He has a sweat lodge built on his property in which I will be participating in. The Lakota sweat lodge ritual, or Inipi, is a familiar aspect of Lakota religion, incorporated and appropriated from reservations to urban areas, from traditional native ceremonies to New Age religion (Pickering, K.1999). I have spoken to him and gained his permission to describe the events of this ceremony. First the fire is to be built around the stones to be used, each of the first seven stones are blessed with tobacco along with a prayer conducted by the chosen individual to build the ceremonial fire. The ceremony itself consists for four rounds. In this ceremony, I will ask him why he has chosen this path and accepted the responsibility of the people’s lives that come to his ceremony. Also, if he feels that the creator speaks through him, or if he feels he is just a messenger for the creator.
In this ceremony I will be interviewing the men of the ceremony since this will be a “Men’s Lodge”, there is also a woman’s lodge going at the same time but men are forbidden to attend because it is said that woman have more power than men since they have the power to give life as the creator did. It is a belief that because women have the power to create life just as the creator; men do not so therefore they are more powerful in a spiritual sense. Also during their “moon time” (menstrual cycle) it is also believed that there are bad spirits at work and it could be harmful to men in ceremony. Most men who participate in ceremony are 40’s and 50’s. In addition, most are lower and middle class. All are welcome at Ed’s ceremony, we do not see color and you may come as long as you respect the traditions of our people. There are many tribes represented in the group as well, Black Foot, Mesquaki, Sioux (Lakota) and (Dakota), Apache, Cree, and Cherokee. Ed is a Sun Dancer; so many people he meets from different tribes come to his ceremonies. Many tribes visit the medicine man Crow Dog’s camp from all over the world and become family even though they are different tribes.
Before the ceremony, it is a quiet time; people who are participating sometimes pray or meditate by themselves often by the woods or inside the lodge even. Some may make “Chung de poc ta” (phonetically spelt) or tobacco ties before ceremony. These are for special prayers for the creator to hear, which are burned after the ceremony, some are kept in the lodge for seven days and then burnt and these are for something very special.
I asked my friend Steve what special words he uses when he prays or if he prays a certain way he said, “I just pray from the heart, the creator knows what is in your heart and he knows all your secrets”. He said, “Aho Wakan Tanka, It is I Tatanka Wanbli (Eagle Buffalo) I come to you in a word of prayer. Please look down upon all who are in ceremony today hear their prayers and cries for help, health, and happiness. Bless them in a good way as they walk down the “Red Road”. Aho Wakan Tanka, Mitakuye Oyasin (We are all related)”.
In the Lakota way only a pipe carrier can run an Inipi ceremony, which is a person that has been gifted a Chanunpa (pipe) by a medicine man, also a Sun Dancer, which is a completely different ceremony. There are no differences in the way we dress. There are nude ceremonies. It is about being reborn, and we were born naked most, traditionalists run their ceremony this way, but most these days wear a towel or shorts.
The ceremony usually lasts two and a half to three hours it depends on how many come, usually in a large Inipi it will hold twenty five people and it will be right around three hours. And if it is a Warrior Inipi it could last all night and they get HOT! Immunologically, increasing body heat in sauna increases expression of CD 11b (complement receptor) and CD 14 (endotoxin receptor) and down regulates CD 621, which attaches leukocytes to endothelium. Three (3) hours later, the endotoxin response persists. It is safe to assume that these occur during the sweat. Individuals with a high fever should avoid the sweat lodge (Livingston, R. 2010).

Most people who come to Inipi Ceremony are in to this for life and are very serious, no drinking, drugs, or acts of violence. Our way of life is about peace and the natural life, the natural way.
First is the Invitation Round; in these rounds, there are certain steps that need to be followed. First, each individual participating will be asked for special prayers for family and friends after each prayer is said a dipper of water is poured on the rocks. Second, the invitation Song is sung there are usually four songs sung at this time during each song water is poured onto the rocks. The door is then open to let the steam out and cool off inside the Inipi.
In the second round a prayer song is sung by a chosen singer, after it is sung the prayers are sent around again to each participant again water is poured onto the rocks. This round is usually the longest there are usually many prayers said in this round. The door is then open to let the steam out and cool off inside the Inipi.
In the third round which is called the Chanunpa round or pipe round. In the round there are pipe songs sung, usually there are four or five it depends on the intense heat inside the lodge, when I run a ceremony there are no less than four songs to honor the four directions. Once all the songs have been sung the door is then open and the pipe is sent in to the lodge, it is passed to each participant to be prayed with until it reaches the spiritual leader. It is then passed to the man to his left to be lit and passed around the circle again to be smoked by all. Tobacco has been used in Native American ceremonies for more than 2,300 years. The Chanunpa or pipe is made from a reddish clay stone and comes in two pieces, the bowl and a stem. Some are decorated with carvings representing the beholders spirit animal and stems sometimes have beadwork and feathers. Most are plain in ceremonial use, my bowl is plain but the stem has bead work and a small eagle feather tied to a Medicine Wheel (M. Godlski 2013).
In the fourth and final round, the thank you round, prayers are sent around again for the participants to give thanks to the spirits and the creator for hearing our prayers. Songs are again sung and the Inipi Ceremony is then concluded.
After we are all changed we will all participate in a feast provided by all who have come to the ceremony and we talk about the ceremony and if anyone had a vision or seen “anything spiritual”. This will be the first time I have been to Ed’s ceremony in ten years and I cannot wait to use this opportunity to share the power of the Inipi ceremony. I asked several of the men what the reason was for them walking this path, and what their journey has brought into their life. Ed said before he began this journey he was into drugs and alcohol and his life was very dark, as soon as he opened himself to the creator he began to notice a change and it opened his eyes to a new world and he made it his treatment program. Jim said that he also was a drug addict, and that Ed was his sponsor and Ed asked him to go to a ceremony with him. He said his family seen the change in him and started to trust him again and it has been a major part in his life ever since
In our text, Eller states, “filling individual needs, especially psychological or emotional needs. Religion provides comfort, hope, perhaps love, definitely a sense of control, and relief from fear and despair”. I feel that this is true all who are involved are searching for answers and looking towards the creator for the answers in life. I have seen several people find new lives in ceremony, we have even had a couple find love and are to this day happily married. In addition, people who walk this road are in complete control because they give everything to the creator and hold nothing back.
In the second social function of religion, the source of “ultimate sanctions”, in my spiritual way the creator makes the rules and can take things away if you do not follow in a sacred manor. It is believed that if you do something to harm another, a loved one could be taken from you. I have not had this happen to me but I feel that I do walk in a sacred manor, and give my all to the creator.
In the third of Eller’s functions solutions of immediate problems, it is my take on this that the Creator is never angry he for better lack of words just wants us to follow the road with honor and respect for all living creators. In my belief, I do not ask for anything for myself, I always pray for others and I am given what I need besides, others will pray for me so I do not need to.
In closing, the Inipi a sacred ceremony of the Lakota people celebrated by thousands and used for many reasons. Some use it for connecting with the creator, or even as a form of treatment for substance abuse. Nevertheless, for whatever the reason, it is a journey into the Native American world and a vessel to the creator.

Reference:
Moro, P. A. (2013). Magic, Witchcraft, and Religion. New York, NY: Mcgraw-Hill Companies, Inc.,.
Pickering, K. (1999). The Lakota Ritual of the Sweat Lodge: History and Contemporary Practice. American Indian Quarterly, 23(3/4), 185.
Hibbard, W. (2007). THE NATIVE AMERICAN SWEAT LODGE CEREMONY: REPORTS OF TRANSPERSONAL EXPERIENCES BY NON-NATIVE PRACTITIONERS. Journal Of Transpersonal Psychology, 39(1), 68-91
Moghaddam, J. F., & Momper, S. L. (2011). Integrating Spiritual and Western Treatment Modalities in a Native American Substance User Center: Provider Perspectives. Substance Use & Misuse, 46(11), 1431-1437. doi:10.3109/10826084.2011.592441
Mackey, J. (2010). Experiential and Symbolic Aspects of the Native American Sweat Lodge Ceremony. Jung Journal: Culture & Psyche, (1), 99. doi:10.1525/jung.2010.4.1.99
Livingston, R. (2010). Medical risks and benefits of the sweat lodge. Journal Of Alternative & Complementary Medicine, 16(6), 617-619. doi:10.1089/acm.2008.038
Schiff, J., & Moore, K. (2006). THE IMPACT OF THE SWEAT LODGE CEREMONY ON DIMENSIONS OF WELL-BEING. American Indian & Alaska Native Mental Health Research: The Journal Of The National Center, 13(3), 48-69.
Godlaski, T. M. (2013). Holy Smoke: Tobacco Use Among Native American Tribes in North America. Substance Use & Misuse, 48(1/2), 1-8. doi:10.3109/10826084.2012.739490