James Arthur Ray's sweat lodge retreat

The repercussions and aftermath of James Arthur Ray’s sweat lodge retreat illuminate the simple fact that he was not equipped to emulate an intricate custom based on Native American culture. His decision to host a retreat costing participants $9,000 for a weekend based on a purification and detoxification process used by Native Americans calls attention to the unabashed and inappropriate exploitation of indigenous customs and cultures for capital gain.

It is painfully obvious after the death of three sweat lodge participants’ untimely and preventable deaths that Ray was not capable, nor well-versed enough on the custom that he was emulating, to host the retreat and promote the “benefits” of the traditional practice. It is unfortunate that people seek to gain financially from traditional Native American rituals, customs and practices and it is even more tragic when those practices are not executed properly, causing harm to bystanders and, in this case, innocent participants. The fact that Ray was an unfit and negligent leader in this situation aside, prior knowledge and understanding of the traditional detoxification process would have resulted in a much safer experience for participants. His lack of respect and disregard for fully understanding the process proves that he was only trying to benefit financially from the sweat lodge retreat and was truly exploiting Native American culture in order to do so.