Sweat Lodge

Tonight I participated in what people of the Lakota tribe call a "sweat".  Someone usually "calls" a sweat and it could be for various reasons.  The last one was for a volunteer's birthday.  This one tonight was called by a woman whose nickname is Worm.  She had a dream about something and wanted the medicine man ( heyoka) to explain it.  In the sweat there are four rounds.  The heyoka pours water onto the fire in the middle of the lodge.  Each round consists of something different, but some consist of praying and singing in Lakota.

All the sweats that I have been to so far this year were packed, so it was nice to actually have some breathing room in this one.  Our sweat lodge at the school can fit about 30 people in there.  Being in a sweat is difficult to explain.  When the heyoka pours the water onto the hot rocks a bunch of steam comes off of them. The steam hits you like a down of bricks.  You start to sweat in places that you didn't know you could.

Here's the best thing about sweats--the constant prayer and feeling of restlessness put at ease by the time it's over.  I'm still attempting to understand certain friendships in my life/lack there off.  I prayed a lot about it during sweat and about finding peace here in SoDak.   Bottom line I know that I'm here in Pine Ridge for a reason- it's about the kids.  While forming friendships is good, it's more so about making a difference in these kids' lives.   It's not about me figuring out my life.  My life is peachy keen compared to what some of my students are going through right now.  That's what keeps me in check.  It's that knowledge that this place has turned into a camplike state for me.  It's all about LOVIN' THOSE KIDS.  See, this is why I'm grateful for sweats.  They make everything so simple.