Sweat lodges and sweat baths
Sweatlodges and sweatbaths, integral to various Indigenous cultures, serve ceremonial, social, and medicinal purposes. Traditionally, sweatlodges are dome-shaped structures, often circular, built from saplings or wooden poles and covered with materials like animal skins or blankets. The design and construction of these lodges vary across different tribes, reflecting their unique traditions and available resources. In Mesoamerica, similar rituals occur in temazcal ceremonies, which utilize stone, cement, or clay enclosures.
Inside a sweat lodge, participants gather around a central pit that holds heated volcanic stones, which can reach temperatures exceeding 200° Fahrenheit (93° Celsius). The participants, often disrobed to varying degrees, engage in prayer, song, and the ceremonial passing of a sacred pipe filled with medicinal plants. This collective experience is believed to foster strong community bonds and personal healing, making the sweat lodge ceremonies a vital aspect of contemporary Indigenous life. As such, these practices are not only steeped in tradition but also continue to play a significant role in the spiritual and social well-being of various Indigenous peoples today.
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Sweatlodges and sweatbaths
- TRIBES AFFECTED: Pantribal
SIGNIFICANCE: Sweat lodges and sweat baths (temazcal) are widely used for ceremonial, social, and medicinal purposes
The sweat lodge is a traditional ceremonial enclosure, usually circular and dome-shaped in design. It is generally framed with saplings, wooden poles in a conical arrangement, or cedar planks. The enclosure can be from 4 to 8 feet (1.2 to 2.4 meters) across and 4 to 6 feet (1.2 to 1.8 meters) in height. It was traditionally covered with animal skins, bark, or earth. Today, blankets or other coverings are often used. Lodge design is varied according to each Nation's traditions and available building materials. The temazcal ceremonies performed by the Indigenous peoples of Mexico's Mesoamerica region are similar to sweat lodge ceremonies, but the structures were traditionally made of rocks, cement, or clay.
The construction of these lodges is an elaborate and important part of the tradition of sweat lodges. In some communities, the lodge is called the “navel of the universe” because it represents the entire world. A shallow pit, approximately one foot (30 centimeters) across, is dug in the center of the sweat lodge floor. This pit is the receptacle for the seven to twenty-eight stones used to heat the enclosure. They are brought in, in one to four rounds of approximately fifteen to twenty minutes duration. Volcanic stones hold heat the best. Temperatures in the sweat lodge can exceed 200° Fahrenheit (93° Celsius).
Participants disrobe, either completely or partially, and walk clockwise around the lodge. They enter the lodge from the east side and sit on the earthen floor. It is covered with cedar or other evergreen boughs. The entry is closed, and the interior is dark except for the glowing stones.
Water is scooped from a gourd or other container and poured onto the stones to make steam. A sacred pipe is sometimes passed. It is filled with tobacco, sage, and other medicinal plants which can also be sprinkled on the stones, making the steam fragrant and healing. Prayers are made, and Native American music and songs are performed. This continues until the stones cool. The specifics of the structure of the sweat lodge and ceremony used vary from one community to another. Sweat lodge ceremonies remain essential for Indigenous communities in the twenty-first century as part of their personal and social healing. These ceremonies are said to bond participants together as relatives in collective values.
Bibliography
Edmonds, Margot, and Ella E. Clark. Voices of the Winds: Native American Legends. Chartwell Books, 1989.
Frey, Rodney, and Leonard Bends. Carry Forth the Stories: A Journey into Indigenous Oral Traditions with Implications for Our Humanity. Washington State UP, 2024.
"The Sweat Lodge." New Brunswick Aboriginal Peoples Council, 2018, nbapc.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Youth-THE-SWEAT-LODGE.pdf. Accessed 20 Nov. 2024.
"Sweat Lodge." The Pluralism Project, Harvard University, pluralism.org/sweat-lodge. Accessed 20 Nov. 2024.
"Sweat Lodges." American Indian Health and Family Services, aihfs.org/sweat-lodges. Accessed 20 Nov. 2024.