Who Participates in Ceremony?

By TRISTAN AHTONE

SANTA FE—Across the country, the appropriation, abuse and exploitation of Native ceremonies occur regularly. From the selling of sweatlodge ceremonies to the practice of the Sundance by those not authorized to do so, Native people have had to find ways to deal with such exploitation. This year the controversy of who participates in, and conducts sweatlodge ceremonies came to the Institute of American Indian Arts.

Beginning in January of this year, Garret Wounded Head, Lakota tribal member and student at IAIA, began the controversy with a memorandum regarding the sweatlodge on campus to IAIA President Della Warrior. Wounded Head stated in the memo that the sweatlodge ceremony needed to be respected on the same level as other ceremonies, such as the Sundance, and pointed to problems, such as the entrance of the sweatlodge facing the wrong way, and the tarps and blankets covering the sweatlodge being infested with mildew, spiders and worms around the edges.

A month later on February 25, Wounded Head dismantled two sweatlodges that had been built on campus. In a memorandum sent to Housing Director Carmen Henan, Wounded Head stated, “At approximately 10:30 a.m. I was told by staff member Alvin Sandoval of the Facilities Management Office that the two sweatlodges had to be dismantled because the proper channels were not used by the students…

“Furthermore, I had a talk with Veronica Gonzales, Special Assistant to the President Della Warrior. I told her of the importance and sacredness of the sweatlodge and how it was being abused. She told me to tell you to draft up a memorandum to the students for the purpose of communicating with them and letting them know that another sweatlodge was not to be constructed.”

Sandoval denies instructing Wounded Head to dismantle the sweatlodges. Gonzales stated, “Unfortunately, no, I did not say that.”

According to Gonzales, she told Wounded Head to visit with Carmen Henan and recommend to her that she put together a policy on the sweatlodge for the Institute. She said she did tell him that new sweatlodges should not be constructed unless they were authorized, not that they shouldn’t be constructed at all.

“I was very clear with him about that,”Gonzales said. . “I don’t know if he misunderstood me or if he was talking liberties with what I said.”

He Said, She Said

With the delivery of the memo, Wounded Head soon began butting heads with the housing director in a series of letters between the two regarding Wounded Head’s assertions.

In April, Henan sent Wounded Head a letter about the construction of two new sweatlodges: “This letter is to notify you not to bother or take down these lodges. The department of Student Life will give permission in writing when any lodge will be dismantled… At no time, should you interfere with any IAIA community member(s) who are using the lodge(s). To do so, will result in disciplinary action being taken.”

Two days later on April 23, Wounded Head responded in another memo to Henan: “At this time, I am reconfirming my stance that I was told to dismantle the two sweatlodges that were being built on February 25.”

Wounded Head went on to express his concern about the housing office’s approval of building new sweatlodges on campus before the issue was resolved, or “putting the cart before the horse,” as Wounded Head stated in his memo.

In an interview conducted with the CHRONICLE on April 24, 2003, Wounded Head stated that the issues at IAIA are that 1.) the sweatlodge is facing the wrong direction, 2.) anybody that wants to conduct a ceremony is allowed to, 3.) non-Natives are allowed to participate, and 4.) the Institute has gone against the wishes of Arvol Looking Horse by allowing non-Natives to participate in the ceremony.

For Lakotas, Nakotas & Dakotas Only?

According to Wounded Head the sweatlodge ceremony has been handed down from generation to generation through the Looking Horse family, originating from the appearance of the White Buffalo Calf Woman, who presented the sacred pipe to the Lakota, Nakota and Dakota. Today, Lakota tribal member Arvol Looking Horse is the nineteenth generation carrier of the sacred pipe, given to the Lakota by White Buffalo Calf Woman.

Wounded Head also stated that as a result of the appearance of the White Buffalo Calf Woman, the sweatlodge ceremony was given to the Lakota, Nakota and Dakota tribes and no one else, an opinion not shared by many at IAIA.

“If the creator wanted to give the ceremony to non-Natives,” said Wounded Head, “he would have given it to them in the way he gave it to us.”

Not only has Wounded Head stated that non-Natives should not be running sweatlodge ceremonies or participating in them, but that no other Native people except the Lakota, Dakota and Nakota should be allowed to run or participate in sweatlodge ceremonies.

Wounded Head believes that it would be disrespectful of him to practice another tribe’s religion, such as building a kiva or a wigwam, and he expects the same amount of respect toward his religion.

Issue Resolved

As a result of the controversy, the issue was taken to the Traditional Concerns Committee, an institutional committee that handles such issues. The committee recommended that the sweatlodge ceremony continue at IAIA as before. President Warrior upheld the committee’s recommendation.

Professor Charlene Teters, secretary of the committee, explained, “The Traditional Concerns committee is a committee appointed by the president. As the [sweatlodge] issue moved forward, she could have said, ‘This is my opinion, this is how it should go, this is my decision.’ But rightfully, she knew that as the president of IAIA, representing over 80 First Nations from all over the country that it wouldn’t be right for her, as one person, to make a determination as to what’s right for the 80-plus nations that are here.”

Teters went on to explain that the Traditional Concerns Committee has no real power when it comes to the decision-making process. It merely advises the president based on the members’ knowledge learned from their experiences in different communities and what they’ve learned from their elders.

“One thing about traditional people is that they think ahead, and think about what is good in terms of the community and future generations,” said Teters.

Arvol Looking Horse Speaks

In conjunction with the committee’s recommendation to the president, Arvol Looking Horse was asked to come to IAIA to help talk through the issue, and on April 28, gave a one-hour talk on the history and use of the sweatlodge to students.

In an interview with the CHRONICLE on April 29, Arvol Looking Horse stated that the sweatlodge is open to anyone—however, running the ceremonies is a different story.

“People don’t understand the significance of the ceremonies, but they do them anyway.” Looking Horse says that anyone can come to pray, but a person who would run the ceremony must know and follow protocol.

He stated that across the country the use and sale of ceremonies has grown to epidemic proportions. “The word America is a name that describes money,” said Looking Horse, “and we get caught up in that energy today, finding every which way to make money. There isn’t a price for ceremonies.”

According to Looking Horse, the biggest problem is selling ceremonies, with sweatlodge ceremonies going for as little as $50, Sundance at $1000, and vision quest at $1500.

Community Discussion of the Issue is Important

“Those of us out there have seen the abuses of these ceremonies, and we’ve been praying for somebody to shut down these bastardizations of our ceremonies,” said Teters. “So it was right for our spiritual leaders to come and talk about that as it impacts this intertribal nation, and I think we’ll come out ahead. I have a lot of faith in human beings that we’ll do the right thing.”

For now, the sweatlodges on campus will remain intact. In regards to Looking Horse’s statements, Garret Wounded Head replied that the sweatlodge issue wasn’t his issue in the first place.

As a result of the controversy, IAIA has a chance to grow, communicate and find new answers to ongoing problems. According to Teters, “This is good for us as a community to talk about. If we weren’t talking about it and dealing with it, there would be reason for complaint.”

Copyright © 2003 IAIA Chronicle