The photos below are of Samuel Martinez and his fire keepers as they prepare for a sweat lodge ceremony at his home in Oakland, Calif. They were taken by photojournalist Tom Levy.
This was a small lodge, just for Martinez and his five firekeepers, who help him carry out sacred ceremonies throughout the month.
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Photo essay by Tom Levy:
- Preparing wood for the fire.
- A stone that will be heated for the sweat lodge.
- Asking permission from “Creator and the animas” before a lodge.
- The fire that will heat the stones.
- Samuel Martinez who will lead a sweat lodge ceremony in his backyard.
- An “Agua Florida” that is part of the ritual before the lodge.
- An incense that will be used for purification.
- Purifying the outside of the lodge.
- Hot embers from the fire.
- Shoveling hot embers into a shallow pit in the middle of the lodge.
- The lodge is about five feet high at the center.
- Resting as the stones are heated.
- A moment of joy before Martinez leads the ceremony.
Martinez is pictured here before a sweat lodge.”We ask creator and the animas permission to wake up the energy within the four sacred elements that give life,” Martinez said.
Volcanic stones called abuelos and abuelas, the Spanish words for grandfathers and grandmothers, are heated for several hours in an outdoor fireplace. They’re then placed in a shallow pit in the center of the lodge.
The lodge takes up most of the space in Martinez’s backyard. He prefers to call it the “Temazcal,” which is its name in Nahutl, an indigenous language still spoken in parts of Mexico. The Temazcal is built in the style of the Lakota tribe, with a frame made of arched willow boughs that is covered by heavy blankets. It is about five feet high at the center.
Martinez has lived most of his life in Oakland. In 1953, his family moved from Colorado in response to a federal push to assimilate Native Americans by relocating them to urban areas.
In Oakland, Martinez stayed connected to his heritage through his mother, who sang him songs and taught him about healing herbs. But it took many years for him to find an expression of spirituality that felt authentic. He began attending sweat lodges in 1989 with a group of Latino men who wanted to connect to their indigenous heritage. Martinez is part-Navajo, but also has ancestors who likely migrated hundreds of years ago from what is now Mexico.
Martinez has a quick wit and a ready laugh, but he’s serious and outspoken about the injustices he and others have suffered by. He’s also grateful to have found the sweat lodge ceremony and now to have the opportunity to share it with others in his community.
-Judy Silber
