Our new weekly Inipi will be held at The Banyan House in Dania Beach, 323 SW 1st Ave, Dania Beach, FL 33004, every Monday at 7pm, barring notice of a cancellation or inclement weather. We suggest for you to arrive at 6 pm to prepare your prayer ties; you will be guided in this for those unfamiliar.

Please bring a fruit or food/beverage offering of your choice to share with the community after the inipi.

There is a suggested donation of $45.

Please wear comfortable clothing that you do not mind getting soaked with sweat and possibly some dirt. It is also advised to bring a towel and a change of clothes for your comfort.

Here is a great article about the INIPI (Sweat Lodge).

“The sweat lodge (also called, Inipi, purification ceremony, sweat house, medicine lodge, medicine house, or simply sweat) is a ceremonial sauna and is an important way of life for some North American First Nations or Native American cultures. There are several styles of sweat lodges that include a domed or oblong hut similar to a wickiup, or even a simple hole dug into the ground and covered with planks or tree trunks. Stones are typically heated in an exterior fire and then placed in a central pit in the ground.

Use of Sweat Lodge in Different Cultures

Something similar to a sweat lodge can be found in different ancient cultures as a ritual for healing, cleansing, and reaching higher consciousness.

One of the early non-Indian occurrences can be found in the fifth century BC, when Scythians constructed pole and woolen cloth sweat baths.

Vapor baths were in use among the Celtic tribes, and the sweat-house was in general use in Ireland down to the 18th, and even survived into the 19th century. It was of beehive shape and was covered with clay. It was often used as a cure for rheumatism.

Native Americans in many regions employed the sweat lodge. For example, Chumash peoples of the central coast of California built sweat lodges in coastal areas in association with habitation sites.

Today Native Americans in many regions employ the sweat lodge.”