20/05/2021
Experience the healing powers of this ancient ritual...
Traditional Native American Buffalo Lodge Ceremony comes to Calderdale 29-30 May!
You are invited to a Native American Buffalo (aka sweat) Lodge ceremony. This is an ancient spiritual practice to promote detoxification and a deep connection to Nature and ourselves.
This event will be facilitated by the Indigenous tribal elder Iniigoos, of the Yukon Territory.
Humanity has lost its connection with Mother Earth, and Iniigoos’s mission is to help us to regain this by sharing ancient wisdom passed down through generations of First Nation people.
Saturday 29th May and/or Sunday 30th May, 9am-9pm
Aaron’s Campsite, Aaron Hill Farm, Cragg Vale, HX7 5TX
Iniigoos is an elder from the native American Salteaux Anishinaabe tribe, indigenous to Manitoba in The Yukon territory, Canada. We are honoured to have this bringer of ancient wisdom visit Yorkshire as part of a wider tour to demonstrate the healing powers of traditional Buffalo lodge ceremonies, and invite you to participate in a (once in a lifetime) full day event! The event will consist of building the lodge, fire and altar, sharing food, bonding in a talking circle, and purifying our bodies, minds and spirits through the power of the elements (earth, air, fire, water).
Traditionally in indigenous culture, a buffalo (or sweat) lodge is a spiritual ritual that uses intense heat to stimulate vision and insight. A buffalo lodge ceremony helps detoxify the body by stimulating blood circulation and causing you to sweat out impurities. Lodges are also used for holistic healing and to give us balance in our every day lives. They support our physical, emotional, spiritual and mental wellbeing. The ancient ritual of sweat lodges provide an introspective tool to bring us back into the circle of life and reconnect with nature and ourselves. We need this more than ever before.
Itinerary
• Iniigoos will show us how to use willow branches to construct the lodge. The front of the lodge always faces East, to welcome the Sun.
• After we have built the lodge, it will be covered in blankets, with an altar constructed in the middle.
• Once the fire is lit, there will be a talking and sharing circle.
• We will warm 33 rocks, or ‘Grandfathers’, for a couple of hours until they are red hot. Once red hot, we can enter the lodge.
• There are 4 ‘rounds’ in the buffalo lodge. Guests will stay in the lodge for 15-25 minutes each time, able to come outside to cool down and drink water between rounds.
• During each round, prayers will be offered. Iniigoos will speak about the history and relevance of the buffalo lodges and give spiritual guidance.
• We will make traditional prayer ties before the 3rd round, to give thanks to the Great Spirit.
• After the 4th round, a medicine pipe will be passed around for those who wish to participate. We are invited to smoke to***co, which is not abused by indigenous cultures, but rather considered a sacred teacher plant.
• After this medicine pipe has been passed around, we will sit together and feast together. Guests are invited to contribute some food to share with the group; this can be either pre-cooked, cold or something we can cook in the fire.
• A plate of this shared food will also be prepared and offered to the spirits and put in the fire.
The itinerary for Sunday 30th will be as above, but as the lodge will have already been constructed, the day will start at 9am but end earlier. Please note that end timings are a rough estimate, but bear in mind that day one will be at least 10 hours and day two will be at least 8 hours.
This is a sustainable event and all willow will be replanted. Grandfather rocks will also be gathered from sustainable sources and no damage will be caused to Mother Earth in the process of this sacred ceremony.
More about Iniigoos
Iniigoos (meaning ’ant’) is an elder from Sturgeon clan of the Anishinaabe tribe indigenous to Canada. Raised in the Yukon territory, he moved to Kamlopps, British Colombia, at 25. Inigoos struggled with alcohol addiction at that point in his life, and spent the next 12 years using the Pe**te cactus as a medicine at ceremonies. Aged 40 he started going to Buffalo lodges once a week. That year he went to his first Piercing Sun Dance. After seven years of dancing, he was given his own sweat lodge. Iniigoos is proud to have danced with the Blackfoot, Statliumx and Shuswap peoples.
How to pay:
¥ You are not obliged to attend both days and tickets are sold separately. The suggested donation for Iniigoos’s mentoring is £50 per day.
¥ If this is too much, please contact us, as there are a few concessionary tickets available
¥ You MUST register your interest. Please do this by sending your email address by text.
¥ Places are non-refundable, we ask that you pay 50% deposit or full price prior to event.
¥ There will be a maximum of 25 guests per day.
¥ Anyone wishing to stay overnight at Aaron’s campsite must pay an extra £5 for the pitch.
¥ Aaron’s Campsite page: https://aaronsfarm.net (for information only, do not use to book)
To reserve your place for this special event, text your email address to Joe on 07598 883698
Please let us know if you plan to camp overnight in addition to the event.
