Law students attend traditional sweat lodge ceremony ahead of final exams

In a new wellness initiative introduced by the University of Alberta Faculty of Law’s Indigenous Support Officer, and supported by the Faculty of Law, law students were recently invited to attend a traditional sweat lodge ceremony.

A sweat is a sacred Indigenous ceremony through which participants purify themselves physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. The ceremony, which is led by an Elder, takes place in a heated lodge and consists of four rounds of prayers.

Kathleen Makela, the Faculty’s Indigenous Support Officer, coordinated the trip as part of her efforts to create culturally-relevant programming for students. In particular, it was meant as a way to provide spiritual support for students as they navigate the stressful period of final exams.

On April 2, five students accompanied Makela to Maskwacis, where they were met by Mosom Rick Lightning of Ermineskin Cree Nation (“Mosom” is a Cree word for Grandfather/Elder).

Before the ceremony, Mosom Lightning welcomed students into his house to share stories and prepare them for what was to come. The ceremony then took place over two hours, after which everyone shared a meal.

For most of the students, this was their first time taking part in a sweat lodge ceremony.

Rebekah Mitchell, a first-year law student who was on the planning committee for the Indigenous Law Students’ Association speaker series this year, says it was a way of reconnecting with her culture.

“Growing up, my family moved around Canada and was separated from our community due to colonialism,” she says. “I wanted to take part in this ceremony that I had heard about, but that I never had the opportunity to participate in.”

“Reconnecting with traditional knowledge is very healing,” she adds. “Indigenous knowledge goes back thousands of years, and it’s amazing to see how it continues to heal, enlighten and guide us.”

For second-year student and incoming Law Students’ Association president Olive Bensler, the sweat was an opportunity to learn more about Indigenous culture.

“I think it is really important for non-Indigenous students to participate in Indigenous culture and ceremonies where we are invited to do so,” she says. “Our legal education is dominated by settler ways of knowing and being, so if we value reconciliation – which we should – we should participate in any and all opportunities to learn in new ways.”

Reflecting on their day together, it’s clear to Makela that the ceremony was very meaningful to the participants.

“Mosom Rick shared a lot with the students about the significance of their studies while encouraging them to continue to work hard. He stressed the importance of keeping balance within one's life and to find strength in ceremony and prayer,” she says. “He shared very positive messages and it really lifted us all up, myself included.”

First-year student Jasmine Hafso says the sweat left her feeling relaxed, grounded and refocused. She also took away many impactful messages from Mosom Lightning.

“Some of his messages were celebrations of Indigenous traditions and spirituality that have endured despite colonialism and residential schools,” she says. “I studied history prior to law school, and my great-grandfather was a residential school survivor. For me, these affirmations of Cree knowledge were inspiring.”

Bensler also noted that the open, inclusive nature of the ceremony was meaningful for her. “I was raised with an ‘our way or the highway’ spirituality and it is so healing to be in a space that allows for diverse experiences and practices of spirituality,” she says.

Mitchell admits that the stress of finals almost made her back out of attending at the last minute – but she’s grateful she didn’t.

“Attending was much more valuable than any studying I could have done,” she says. “This experience reminded me that taking care of my spiritual and mental health allows me to be in a better position to deal with any stress going into finals, and makes preparing for exams less daunting.”

Given how powerful and positive the ceremony was for the students, Makela is planning to organize a sweat lodge ceremony for interested faculty members and sessional lecturers sometime this summer.