The sweat lodge ceremony is held in the summer months to help the community remove the layers of self-centeredness from their thoughts so that they can connect with the people and the world around them. Participants take part in the sweat lodge ceremony to connect with their own spirit and the spirits of the natural world. The sweat lodge ceremony is not about renaming or changing one’s self. It is about bringing the person to their true nature. In the sweat lodge ceremony, people enter a state of inner stillness, meditation and clarity.
Types of Sweat Lodge Ceremony
White Corn Clan:
This type of sweat lodge is typically associated with the Corn clan. It is usually a single-room sweat lodge where participants enter with a sense of reverence and humility. The room is then purified with white sage smoke before they are offered prayers, songs and stories in the Navajo language.
Blue Corn Clan:
Another form of the sweat lodge is the blue corn clan. In this type of sweat lodge, a blue corn clan song is sung and the participants are cleansed with blue corn pollen.
Canyoneer Clan:
The Canyoneer clan is the most common type of sweat lodge in the Navajo tradition. The Canyoneer clan is associated with the Corn clan and is held by canyoneer people. To take part in this clan, you either need to be a canyoneer or related to one.
How To Prepare For A Sweat Lodge
Before holding a sweat lodge ceremony, you need to how to prepare for a sweat lodge and prepare the room and yourself. The room needs to be warm and the temperature should be between 75 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. For the room to be clean, you should sweep it, take out the trash and empty the refrigerator of any leftover food. After the sweat lodge ceremony, you should sweep the room again and mop the floor.
If you are holding a clan ceremony, you should also prepare yourself for the ceremony. Before the sweat lodge, you should cleanse yourself with a bath or washing your face with soap. You should also prepare a clean space to stand in where you won’t be disturbed. You should also prepare ceremonial objects that help you enter into the ceremony and leave with a sense of closure.
