Bent Arrow Traditional Healing Society starts construction on new ceremonial building

Left to right: Senior Manager Lloyd Yellowbird, Executive Director Cheryl Whiskeyjack, Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood MLA Janis Irwin, and Calgary-Currie MLA Janet Eremenko hold the shovels to mark the beginning of construction for Bent Arrow's sweat lodge. Photo by Ryan Hunt.

The Bent Arrow Traditional Healing Society held a ceremonial groundbreaking yesterday for their new permanent sweat lodge and ceremonial building, set to open this winter.

Located on the grounds of their headquarters at Parkdale School in Edmonton, once it opens, it will become the first permanent public sweat lodge in Edmonton. The site will feature the lodge itself, along with a healing garden that will feature medicines.

Cheryl Whiskeyjack, executive director for the Bent Arrow Traditional Healing Society, said that this project has been in the works since “the first year of the pandemic, in 2020.” Whiskeyjack described the journey to get the project to where Bent Arrow is now as “a roller coaster.” Between the pandemic, inflation, and supply and labor issues, many things hampered the progress of the sweat lodge, but Whiskeyjack and her team and Bent Arrow kept going.

Initially, the cost of the project was $155,000. The money was raised for that cost, but the pandemic hit and rose costs by another $75,000. After some more fundraisers and funding sources came through, Bent Arrow hit their goal of raising the correct amount of money and put construction into motion.

“We’re finally at that place [today] where we can put shovels in the ground, and you can hear power tools going throughout the day. We’re on our way,” Whiskeyjack said.

A rendering of Bent Arrow’s sweat lodge, set to be completed during the winter. Photo submitted by Cheryl Whiskeyjack.

Temporary lodges and buildings have been set up in the past, but having something permanent for the community to access is the ultimate goal for Whiskeyjack.

“The dream of people having access to this ceremony year-round, that’s when it was born, and that’s what compelled us to get here today,” Whiskeyjack said.

Listen to the full interview with Cheryl Whiskeyjack below: