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Project 57 Week 28: Cold water bathing

Published July 17, 2024 by Ashley Edwards

Each First Nations community has its own cultural rituals and practices, so it is important to remember while there may be crossover and similarities between nations, there is no singular or pan-Indigenous cultural experience or identity. In many Indigenous communities, however, “water is considered sacred” and is treated as “more than a resource” because it is a “way of life and a crucial aspect of their cultural identity” (Native Women’s Association of Canada). The “interconnectedness between water, land, and all living things is deeply understood” by Indigenous peoples (Native Women’s Association of Canada).

Cleansing baths known as cold-water bathing or spirit bathing “involve plunging into cold water” at minimum, however they also may include “using bundles of cedar...tobacco, sage, and sweet grass” (Indigenous Fellowship of Hamilton Road). Kuunajaad (Jenny Cross) from Hlɢ̲aagilda Haida describes “ocean baths” as a significant aspect of “cleansing your body, mind, and spirit” and for “cleansing away any unwanted negative energy that might be clinging to your body” (Haida Nation). While the cold water may come as a shock, it becomes a moment to center yourself, to feel your body and to also cleanse it, to connect with nature, to connect spiritually with your surroundings, to be present in the moment, and to feel gratitude for what you have. Anishinaabe water protector Autumn Peltier explains that “water is medicine” and not merely “a resource”, but a “basic human right” (Native Women’s Association of Canada).