The old Greeks wrote about the strange people to the north who would whip themselves with pine boughs and climb into little huts with hot stones to make their bodies perspire. A contributor for Smithsonian Magazine wrote years ago about the discovery in Siberia of structures made from the rib bones of mastodons with piles of stones in each center. In Finland it's called a sauna. Naturopathic physicians call it hydrotherapy. My Lakota grandfather called it Tunkan Ti, the house of the Stone People, or Inipikaga, ceremony to renew the life force. The structure is called "tezi," meaning Mother Earth's womb. Warm, dark and safe, our spirits grow inside the structure, and as we exit we are reborn each time, greeting all of our relatives in creation with the words "Mitakuye Oyasin," or "We are all relatives." It is a "keya," the turtle, as well. Shaped like a turtle with the earthen altar as its head, it represents "Turtle Island," our North American continent, named so from old stories that speak of the Earth coming out of the water on the back of a giant turtle. It is our church, our hospital and our university that we never graduate from. The White Nation calls it Sweat Lodge, but there is so much more, in addition to sweating, that happens inside.

The Stone People Lodge is most importantly a place of purification and prayer meant to heal the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual parts of the self through ritual. Native families who have preserved the ceremony have done so by suffering through years of persecution.

Christian churches were assigned by our Government to run the early concentration camps called Reservations, where food and supplies were denied to those who would not accept forced Christian conversion. My family was one of those who suffered to keep the instructions given to us by the Creator Spirit through prayer and purification. These sacrifices are why we still have our ceremonies today.

The whole structure is gathered and assembled with prayer. Saplings used are spoken to as "spirit to spirit" and "two-legged to standing people," as they are given offerings in exchange for their "robe." Even a song is sung to them to ask for their help. The trees help us willingly; they rarely say "no," and we always remember to thank them. Holes for the saplings are made into our mother Earth, and into these holes are placed prayer with tobacco or cornmeal. The cut saplings are shaped into a structure that looks like an upside-down basket (see photo this page).

In the center of this, a small pit is dug to receive the hot stones. When this pit is opened, it is said that Grandmother is listening to our words, thoughts and intentions for this sacred place.

Our stones are gathered far away in the West where the lava has spilled onto the earth. Offerings are made to these (stone) People, and we listen to them with our spirit to find the ones who are willing to come with us. We are reminded that all things are alive and have consciousness according to their nature. It may seem strange to talk to a stone. But, try it sometime when no one is looking. Sit quietly with a stone and listen closely. It may take a few attempts to quiet your mind and connect spirit to spirit. See what answer your mind reflects from this part of creation that will still be here long after we are earth again.

We awaken and recreate fire in a pit called "old man four generations." The fire itself is called "oehunkeshni," or fire without end. It is a spirit and also very much alive. This spirit enters the stones and paints their face red and is brought into the "inipi" (place where we renew our life force) through these Stone People. The structure is covered in blankets instead of traditional buffalo hide. Water, sometimes infused with plant medicines, is offered to the hot stones. The water gives them voices as they hiss in their own language. The old songs are sung in the same order they have been sung for a thousand years, like a very old, worn and familiar path. A spirit or angel shows up as it has for a thousand years and asks, "Grandson or Granddaughter, what is it you need?." "We ask for health and help for our People!" "Wichozani na wokiyektelo."

Those who were taught this ceremony, passed down through generations, were taught without any thought of personal gain. There is never any charge for this ritual, as it was given to the two-legged for free and must be given freely for the help of one's people. Families and extended families will sweat together. Men and women who are unrelated rarely sweat together as they are a distraction to each other.

Also, traditional people do not sweat naked in mixed company. Men and women who have committed themselves to the responsibility of learning this way give years of service to learn the songs, the prayer and the ritual. Everyone who leads a Sweat Lodge has someone they are responsible to so that no one is on their own to do as they please.

There are many who pretend to know these ways and exploit people. There are some who mean well but may hurt people through their own inexperience. East of the Mississippi, there are fewer traditional native people due to the ethnic cleansing that took place here generations ago and the prejudice that still exists today. Fortunately, President Jimmy Carter passed the Freedom of Religion Act for Native People in 1978, and now prayer does not have to be practiced invisibly.

If you have the opportunity to participate in this ceremony, always be respectful to that family and nation's tradition by following their guidelines of conduct. The rules are in place for important reasons that may be understood later. If you cannot find your local inipi, then jump in a sauna and do your hydrotherapy. Purify yourself and keep your prayer inside and private. Know that Spirit hears all and knows your intention, no matter where you are.

Hetchtu, Mitakuye Oyasin. As I have said, we are all related.

Paul is the son of Lakota elder Buck GhostHorse and intercessor for the Sungleska Oyate Sundance in Washington state. He follows the traditional teachings of his family.

The Moon Lodge: Women of the Sacred Hut
Sharon Oxendine taps into traditional honoring of the divine feminine.

"O sisters, let us remember the rhythms of our mother and our mother's mother...Let us remember how to hold the spaces for each other-the rhythms of giving and taking-the rhythms of life." -Bonnie Temple Cassara

In Judith Duerk's book Circle of Stones, she asks, "How might your life have been different if there had been a place for you to go...a place of women, to help you learn the ways of woman?" With this question, she's encouraging women to consider whether we have honored our bodies as they would have been honored had we been part of a traditional tribe, in a circle of other women participating in a Moon Lodge.

The Moon Lodge, or the Black Lodge as it was traditionally known, was a way of preserving the sacred feminine among many American Indian tribes. The Lodge was a retreat for menstruating women, or women on their Moon time, yet was also more than just a retreat. Women of all ages gathered there each new moon. They left their families and their chores, which were covered by the men of the tribe, in order to practice a traditional spiritual belief of the Black Lodge during their time of bleeding. This bleeding was also referred to as sacred life force-a powerful time for a woman, not a time when she was considered unclean. In fact, women on their Moon time were considered so powerful that they were expected not to participate in ceremonies, as they would take away power from the others.

Moon time for women was also a time when the veil was thinner and when women could see their spiritual gifts and dream of medicine to support and restore the tribe to prosperity. Sometimes the dreams brought weather conditions that supported abundant crops, and at other times they equaled a successful hunt. The tribe always attributed this to the honoring of the divine feminine. It was said that the ancestors came to women in visions and dreams when women gathered in the sacred hut during their time of bleeding. The women of the tribe were encouraged to sleep, eat and stay together during this time in order to create a stronger bond to one another and to the Earth mother.

As we move into the 21st century, many people are looking for spiritual awakening and healing. I'm not surprised to find many women seeking alternatives to treat PMS and menopause and looking to this traditional practice and the Earth for medicine.

Some elders believe there are very specific reasons for the greenhouse effect in our world today. The elders of some tribes believe, as do I, that a part of this effect on the Earth is due to the omission in our society of honoring the sacred feminine and the Moon cycle. The demands that are placed on women in our society and the dishonoring of Moon time are also a part of this phenomenon; consider drugs that allow women to have their Moon time only four times a year.

Today, we can listen to our bodies as they change, be aware of the Moon and note where we are in our cycle. We can also explore creating our own Moon lodges in response to the many ways Moon time is being dishonored. In your own Moon Lodge, you walk into the West-into the cave-and hold your energy with the Earth's. Being in the Black Lodge means not always being comfortable but allowing what needs to take place in your life, knowing that the right arrow will guide and direct your path.

Sharon Oxendine is a Lumbee Indian residing in Weaverville, where she has recently built her own Moon Lodge with her partner Tommie and their lovely wolf dog Inde'. She works for Mountain Bizworks, a nonprofit agency that supports sustainable economies, as well as writes poetry and essays and participates in indigenous rituals. She can be reached at sharon@mountainbizworks.org.

Suggested Readings:
Readings of Brooke Medicine Eagle
The Sacred Hoop by Paula Gunn Allen

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