For my ethnography I decided to participate and describe the experience of a sweat lodge. This ceremony is fulfilled by countless number of Native American tribes. The sweat lodge that I attended is located outside of Bozeman on Coke Dale Road. This experience is unlike any other typical concert or recital. I think that this experience is more spiritual then my familiar participation at my typical church services. I showed up at the sweat lodge location at roughly 6:30 pm. me and the other early birds sat around the fire which blankets the sacred rocks. I follow the small talk with an interview of the man that performs the ceremonies. His Name is Luke and he is fluent in Lakota. He was taught many different ceremonies while living with the…show more content… This brought a sensation of goosebumps soaring through my body. The Anipi is so silent that I can hear the creek rolling behind the Anipi. The door is closed and Luke calls for the buffalo spirit to answer his prayers. The second round is the time to ask for prayers from your creator or God.
I notice that the Anipi is almost completely dark and that the rocks have cooled off. I was wrong because this stage of the ceremony was much hotter than the first round. The music has a different tempo, and it seems to have a different vibe flowing through the Anipi. The songs are upbeat and now water is being added during the round. The last song of the round begins with Luke singing quietly and slowly and ends with a powerful finish. The round is finished by each person saying a prayer.
The third round deals with healing. At this point it’s very difficult for me to focus because of the dehydration that my body is being put through. But, Luke still seems unaffected by the heat and continues his ceremony. This round only had two songs played but this music had a slower tempo and lasted longer then the other songs. I’m able to see figures when I close my eyes, yet I don’t know if it correlates to having a
