Peace pipe and war axe

Last weekend, I saddled my Grand Dodge Caravan and traveled south to the Ktunaxa Indians. Canadians no longer refer to them as Indians, but as First Nations. They were the first to settle the land, coming via Siberia and Alaska, before the Europeans, known as the Second Nations, brought not only metal pots but also smallpox. Later, tourists armed with cameras arrived as the Third Nations, creating jobs so that not all Canadians have to cut down trees.

Under the guidance of an Elder, I had the privilege of participating in the Sweat Lodge Ceremony as a white person. This sauna, à la Winnetou, is more than just sweating; it releases stagnant bodily fluids and negative thoughts into Mother Nature. The sweat lodge symbolizes the mother's womb, moist, warm, and dark. At the end of the ceremony, I was cast out like a newborn, pink and innocent, into the fresh air. What happened inside the embrace of Big Mama, whether visions or the peace pipe, remains a mystery. And so, there are no selfies of my steaming body, which looked like a boiled lobster, and the magical place by the lake where it all took place.

One thing is for sure: we humans are a part of nature. Our task is to honor and protect the cycles. If we don't, we will evaporate like the water on the hot stones in the sweat lodge. The Ktunaxa respectfully call the stones grandfathers, as they were the first on earth. They will likely be the last as well.