Sweat Lodge

A sweat lodge will be held as part of the workshop, usually on the last Saturday night. Mary Diggin or Felipe Ortega will pour water on the night. lodge at Felipe Ortega's house

Apache Two Spirit Sweatlodge
The sweat lodge is in the Two-Spirit Apache Tradition. There are four rounds, honoring the hac'tsim of the East, South, West & North. Each round is opened by a song to that particular direction and a prayer by the water pourer.

The lodge has only three rules that need to be followed:

No shoes & no shiny objects to be worn for the eagle feather blessing/empowerment;
We have a second rule that insures that the water pourer will not be left alone, in the lodge, after a silent prayer.
And finally, Feasting may begin once the water pourer has received water in the 4th round and a Spirit plate with food has been placed outside, as the Spirits who helped in lodge have to be fed;
Everything else is expressed as a preference and so, it is a gentle lodge with which to be introduced to the tradition of sweating.

Clothing:
The lodge is clothing optional where people dress to their own level of comfort for entry to lodge. Blankets for sitting on and towels are provided.

Scent-free Environment :
Please use scent free and un-perfumed products: lotions, soaps, deoderants etc. coming to lodge. Do not wear scented products while at Felipe’s house as he is very allergic to such items.

Altars
There is an altar outside the door of the lodge where people leave objects, photos of loved ones, etc. for the duration of the lodge, so that those objects can be empowered by the lodge. There is also an altar in the Medicine room on which gifts for the house may be left. See below about gifting.

Gifting
The Apache understanding of lodge is very much based on Reciprocal Giving. This is an understanding of giving and receiving, of recognizing what has been given and of gifting in return. Traditionally, the gifts that were brought to lodge, supported the lodge and gifted the personnel involved (Waterpourer & Fire tender) for the sacrifice they had made. The gifts included wood for the fire, food for the feast & a gift for the water pourer and Firetenders.

These days, it is more usual for those who attend to make a monetary donation to the house, when possible, to off set the cost of firewood, laundry, food & maintenance. Gifts for the feast (a potluck), & for the water pourer and Fire Tender are still appreciated. Gifts can be monetary but also medicine items like Tobacco, Sage, copal, smudge sticks, crystals or whatever you feel called to bring, are very welcome. Please be clear that attendance at lodge is not dependent on one's ability to donate, at any level but we do ask that those who can support the lodge, do so.

The lodge usually takes place on the day of the firing of the pottery. Workshop participants often get a chance to take part in the preparation for lodge, gathering stones, sage and helping with preparing the lodge itself. There is always is a short introduction, led by the water pourer for the night, before each lodge. The 'confab' allows newcomers to introduce themselves and get a full overview of the lodge and ask any questions they need to.