The most recognized symbol of indigenous healing is the sweat lodge. Depending on the region and the tribal group, the sweat lodge can range from a small hut made of wood and branches to a large building capable of holding many people. Some tribes have permanent structures that can also serve as council chambers and the site of seasonal rituals. In other communities, the lodge is designed for the individual or a small group of people. The steam ritual (often referred to as sweating) can range from a solitary event to one in which the community participates. In the event of serious illness, the sick individual is ministered to by the healer and members of the tribal community. In any case, every part of the sweating ritual is important; from the construction of the hut itself to the songs and chants involved in the ceremony.
The sweat lodge has a twofold purpose. Its first and most obvious function is to clean the skin though extreme heat. However, it is with its second use that the sweat lodge takes on its cultural significance. George Catlin referred to this ritual as the “vapor bath.” In his observations of the Mandan tribe, Catlin described the sweat lodge as a both a luxury and an important curative agent. Moreover, the sweat lodge was not reserved solely for the sick and infirm; it could be used by every member of the community for a variety of purposes. In Catlin’s observation, this was both a fascinating and effecting means of purifying the body.
The Mandan sweat lodge was constructed along the banks of the river and was made of stone which was covered in buffalo skin. The lodge itself was big enough for many people, but was also used by individuals. Catlin observed the ritual of the vapor bath and presented a detailed account in his journals. In every Mandan dwelling there was a small tub made of willow branches, designed to fit a person in the recumbent posture. This tub was carried into the sweat lodge and placed near a circle of heated stones. Water was then poured onto the stones to create the steam necessary to release the healing vapors. In addition to the water, the individual using the lodge could also pour a mixture of sage and specialized herbs (determined by the ailment in the case of sickness) onto the heated stones. This creates a special vapor that can be inhaled—thus purifying the air and flushing out toxins through the user’s sweat. At the height of the steam ritual, the lodge doors are flung open and, if possible, the person participating leaps into the cooling waters of the river.
Like the medicine pipe and medicine bundle, the sweat lodge is another example of a universal Indian cultural trait. With the exception of the Great Basin and the Inuit tribes of Alaska, and a few southwestern tribes, the sweat lodge is found throughout the continent. Moreover, the steam ritual has developed into a popular cultural phenomenon that non-Indians seek to experience.
David M Jones and Brian L Molyneaux, Mythology of the American Nations. (London: Hermes House, 2006).
Gilbert Legay, Atlas of Indians. (Hauppage: Barron’s Educational Services, Inc., 1995)
Peter Matthiessen, ed., George Catlin: North American Indians. (New York: Penguin Group, 1989).
Mark St. Pierre and Tilda Long Soldier, Walking in the Sacred Manner: Healers, Dreamers, and Pipe Carriers—Medicine Women of the Plains. (New York: Simon and Schuster,1995).
Carl Waldman, Atlas of the North American Indian. (New York: Checkmark Books, 2000).
Carl Waldman, Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes. (New York: Checkmark Books, 2006).
