The scene at the Angel Valley retreat in Arizona where three people died in a so-called sweat ceremony last month. (AP photo)

The Coeur d’Alene Tribal Council didn’t mince words when it passed a resolution that
“condemns the purveyors of these new age programs that exploit Native American religious traditions without any knowledge, experience or understanding of the meaning or significance of these traditions and market Native American ceremonies and traditions for their own personal gain.”

The council’s action comes in response to the deaths last month in Arizona at a $9,000 “Spirit Warrior” camp run by New Age guru James Arthur Ray. Three people died as a result of a so-called sweat ceremony during the week.

The council’s resolution expresses sympathy to their family members and “hopes that this senseless tragedy will promote a better understanding of Native American history and foster respect and deference to Native American ceremonies and spiritual traditions,” Indian Country Today reports here.

Tribal Council Vice Chairman Ernie Stensgar says the resolution seeks to draw awareness to the fact that sweats are not to be taken lightly and certainly not to be exploited.

“As I read that story I thought about my grand uncle who was a medicine man and some of the other people that taught us the way of the sweat,” he says. “Those people would turn over in their graves if they heard that the sweat lodge ceremony was being exploited and being commercialized. That’s what offended me and a lot of people here on the reservation – that people would try to make money off that ceremony that has been so helpful to so many people.”

Now – if only people would pay attention.

Gwen Florio

Tags: "Sweat lodge" deaths, buffalo post, Coeur d'Alene Tribe, James Arthur Ray, Native American news