Dateline NBC 2010 Episode Called Deadly Retreat

Dateline NBC 2010 aired a recent episode called Deadly Retreat. Chris Hansen reported on the hours leading up to the death of three individuals in Arizona after a "spiritual warrior" sweat lodge ceremony. 18 others were hospitalized after sustaining injuries from the incident. The self-help guru James Arthur Ray who was the leader of the retreat has been charged with 3 counts of manslaughter and has pled not guilty.

I am a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla (Yuma-tilla), Walla Walla and Cayuse (Ki-use) Indian people from the state of Oregon. In my own opinion James Arthur Ray is not part of an Indian tribe. He has no knowledge about the sweat lodge ceremony nor its' traditions and the beliefs behind it. Many Indian tribes practice the sweat according to their own traditions that have been handed down throughout the generations.

James Arthur Ray had built a mythical place that comes straight out of a stereotypical Indian movie. He has it all, the spiritual warrior concept, the huge sweat lodge compound and the chanting. He only created this beautiful place in order to take your money. My tribal elders never called themselves spiritual warriors, never built a compound holding 50 people or more and never chanted. Ever.

The sweat lodge or sweat or sweathouse was given to Indian tribes as a gift from the Creator and/or God. It is a place of worship to cleanse our bodies, minds and our souls. The Indian songs that are sung are prayers accompanied by our own Indian languages. My dad always speaks our tribal language in the sweathouse. This is tradition and the similar traditions of many Indian tribes across the U.S. It is a part of our everyday living and it has to be respected. Tribal people don't do it once a year at a retreat. They practice it daily, each month and every year of their lives. They respect what the Creator has given them. It is a faith and a belief that sustains their livelihood. It gives Indian tribes strength, good health and peace of mind. It covers a lifetime and not one weekend of a supposed spiritual rebirth. That is meaningless dribble.

James Arthur Ray has created a fake idea and sold it for personal gain. We see it everyday and it is the ripping off and selling of our Indian customs. Non-Indians who have no idea what they are doing will pay anything for spirituality. They go to a retreat like this only once and they have all the answers on how to be a real spiritual warrior. Take a look at the Sun-Dances of the Midwest, the fighting over who can practice it and sell it or write a book about it. The list goes on and on.

Our Indian traditions are supposed to belong to our Indian people. My elders have taught me that when you sell traditions and culture then respect is gone completely. It is an empty shell. When you abuse it then people end up hurt or in this case dead.

It should not have happened but it all comes down to greed. The sad irony is that many of our tribes welcome all visitors to our Indian reservations. They can witness our rich heritage and practice the traditions, songs, and yes the sweat. All that we ask is you respect our way of life. My elders said that everything we do has meaning and when we don't protect that meaning we are lost. And so it goes.

I watched this episode of Dateline NBC and came to the conclusion that this is what our world has come to. The non-Indian has found a way to sell Indian spirituality that wasn't there in the first place. It never will be if you have to reach into your pockets and hand over money to a stereotypical idea. It wasn't a real sweat lodge. It was only a compound that now has become a place called manslaughter.