Extend Native Life - One Sweat at a Time
Bringing cedar saunas to Native elders to promote health and tradition.
What Is the S.A.V.E. Initiative?
The S.A.V.E. Initiative is a Native-led health project that provides cedar saunas to Native elders to support cardiovascular health, reduce chronic stress, and restore sacred sweat traditions.
We're going to start by placing 40 saunas in the White Earth Nation, and our mission is to extend Native life expectancy — one sweat at a time.
This program is driven by community, built with cultural respect, and powered by people who care.
Why Sweat? Why Now?
Heart disease is the #1 killer of Native Americans
Studies show sauna use improves cardiovascular health and longevity
Sweat lodges have been used for thousands of years by our people
We're combining modern wellness science with traditional healing practices
What is the GOAL of this Initiative?
We encourage the entire family to use the saunas!!!
This is how this initiative works!
Support This Sacred Work
We’re currently raising funds through private donors and grants — and every dollar goes toward building and placing cedar saunas directly into the homes and communities of Native elders.
👉 Whether you can give $5 or $500, your donation helps restore wellness and culture where it's needed most.
To Get this Started, our Financial Goal is $300K for 40 Saunas!
40 Saunas for 40 White Earth Enrolled Elders
Real Impact. Real People.
Our first 40 saunas will be delivered to tribal elders in White Earth Nation. They will feel the benefits — physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
Are You an Enrolled Elder Interested in a Sauna? Get on the List!
Make sure you provide us your name, address, tribal affiliation, contact info (so we can reach out to you), and proof on enrollment by uploading a pic of your tribal ID.
Contact / Questions
This Isn’t Just Wellness — It’s Cultural Revival.
FAQs
No. While we're starting this initiative in the White Earth Nation (because that's where we're from), we want all tribal elders to sign up — no matter where you’re from. The more interest we see in a particular community, the more likely we are to bring the next round of cedar saunas there.
S.A.V.E. stands for Sauna Anishinaabe Vitality Enhancement — a Native-led initiative to improve elder health, restore traditional sweat practices, and bring cedar saunas back into tribal communities as a natural, accessible form of wellness.
Our priority is tribal elders, but we encourage any enrolled tribal member to express interest. Elders over the age of 60 will be prioritized, but caregivers and family members are encouraged to sign up as well — especially if they plan to help support an elder using the sauna.
Regular sauna use has been shown to lower blood pressure, improve heart health, reduce stress, and increase circulation. It’s also deeply beneficial for mental and emotional clarity — and it aligns with many traditional healing practices used by Indigenous people for generations.
There is no cost to receive sauna. We’re actively fundraising and applying for grants to cover the full cost of each sauna, including construction, delivery, and installation. There will be a slight additional monthly electricity bill increase. Roughly $5-$20/month depending on how often you use the sauna.
We build handcrafted cedar saunas, designed to be culturally respectful and elder-friendly. These saunas can be used year-round and are built for safety, durability, and comfort — honoring both tradition and wellness.
We’re still in the fundraising and planning phase, so we can’t give exact delivery dates yet. Once funding is secured and interest is confirmed in a region, we’ll begin scheduling construction and deliveries in phases.
Sign up, spread the word, and share our initiative with tribal leaders, health coordinators, and other elders in your community. The more interest we see, the easier it is to bring the initiative to your reservation next.
Yes. We will ask that you signed a liability waiver for our saunas. We will walk you through them when you receive it and will have a constant help line for any questions about them that might rise. We also will make sure any home that is receiving a sauna is insured somehow either privately or through the tribe.
We require anyone willing to participate in this program to have the sauna on their property for 12 months. After that you can do what you like with it.
Within the 12 months if you move residents then you can pay us to move it. We suggest you do not participate if you're planning on moving and don't want to pay to move it.
We will also have an option to buy back the saunas after 12-months or you can sell them privately.