Juvenile Wards of the Court Build a Sweat Lodge with Apache Shaman
William 2 Feather, an Apache shaman works with a unique rehabilitation program involving juveniles who are wards of the court and goes into the North Carolina Mountains and builds an authentic Sweat Lodge and creating an indigenous camp village in the traditions of the Apache nation.
The kids are all juvenile wards of the court with court ordered detentions and some will be going into prison when they turn 18. These kids all have major infractions with the law and range from gang bangers, homicide, sex offenders, theft, pyromania, drugs and violence.
This experimental program was also part of research that shows when troubled kids are brought into nature and taught the ways of living off the land, learn to respect mother nature and her animals and learn the ways of indigenous elders and work as a team, they gain a deeper awareness into themselves, and appreciation for learning in new ways that connects them to nature.
William 2 Feather uses an approach that is very intuitive and empowering as he gives these kids respect, honor and appreciation for connecting to the deeper meaning of mother nature and a spiritual awareness of the forest and her offerings. William 2 Feather empowers the kids by giving them the tools that were the very part of what destroyed them in the city life in the metropolitan chaos. He gives the kids who had arrest records with weapons and violence in the city were given the 9 inch knives to cut down the willows for the sweat lodge. The very weapon thjat made them juvenile wards of the court now empowers them within a higher spiritual purpose. Some kids who were introverted and withdrawn are assigned as tribal leaders, camp leaders and captains.to boost their confidence. Those who threw rocks at cars on the freeway and smashed windshields and created freway accidents are now in charge of sweat lodge rocks. Some of the kids who never learned teamanship are assigned to take directions to participate in group projects. Introvereted kids are taught to give spiritual offerings to plants.
He gives the kids who were arrested for pyromania are now in charge as the fire keepers-- lighting the fires and managing the fires. The fire now serves as an empowering spiritual force with a higher purpose. The kids with arrest records for stealing were assigned as gathers of the willows;
The kids learn about nature, animals, flute music, indigenous tools, native American teachings and spiritual offerings to earth mother, smudging, living and working as a group of forest dwellers.
The kids are all smudged and learn how to cleanse their mind, thoughts before building the sweat lodge. The kids learn to make offerings to the things they take from the forest. The kids learn how working as a team builds confidence, pride, comradeship and respect for each other as they work together and create an indigenous camp with a spiritual sweat lodge that will purify their mind, body and spirit.
At the end of the sweat lodge ceremony each of the kids is transformed in a different way from the spiritual experience. Each kid goes through a different healing, transformation that enables them to go back into city life dealing with their problems, courts and legal actions, strife, dreams and inner passions.
