Wiping of Tears
This ceremony addresses grief and its relevance to mental health concerns for the Lakota. In many Indigenous communities, grief, especially after a significant loss, is considered a sacred space. It is sometimes described as an in-between space, where a person has one foot in the living world and another in the spirit world. Cultural and ceremonial traditions to restore balance in the grieving person support healing.
Health Benefits:
Stress reduction
Community Wellness
Health Condition:
Anxiety
Depression
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Trauma
Method of Use:
Ceremony
Cultural Narrative
A Sicangu Lakota community member describes how important mental health is to physical health. He describes how grief can impact mental as well as physical health. He describes how in his traditions, grief after a loss is considered one of the most sacred spaces a person can experience; a space that is between spirit and physical worlds. He describes the wiping of the tears ceremony as a tradition in which the community props up and supports the grieving person by calling them back into the physical world. He specifies that the ceremony usually is held after one year of grieving to honor the sadness, and describes it as practice that supports restoration of mental health after a time of intense grief.