Native American 'Purifies' N.J. Prison Life

October 14, 2007

Author: RICK HEPP

Source: The Star-Ledger

http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index.ssf?/base/news-8/119233658719060.xml&coll=1

Frederick "Two Feathers" Owle is 38, but he can still remember taking part in his first Native American purification ritual as an 8-year-old on a Cherokee reservation in North Carolina.

The traditional ceremony, which offers prayers to the creator, uses steam trapped under a wood-framed hut called a "sweat lodge" to cleanse bodies and minds.

Owle's most recent purification ritual, however, was at an unusual place: South Woods State Prison in Bridgeton, where he is serving 15 years for committing a string of armed robberies in South Jersey.