sweatlodge
Heated purification shelter
A sweatlodge is a structure used by Indigenous North American peoples for purification ceremonies involving intense heat and steam.
Participants sit inside while water is poured over heated stones, inducing heavy sweating.
The practice combines physical cleansing with spiritual ritual.
Also spelled as two words: sweat lodge.
Western Sioux people
- OjibweAlgonquian-speaking indigenous nation
- tribalOf a clan
- ancestralOf one's forebears
- eldersSenior community members
reservation · tradition · customs · heritage · Navajo · Apache · Cherokee · powwow
Removing dirt or toxins
- detoxificationRemoving harmful substances internally
- renewalMaking current again
- purgingForcible elimination of unwanted
- releaseTo let go
healing · restoration · ablution · spiritual cleansing · toxins · impurities · catharsis · letting go
Formal admission ceremony
- fastingDeliberate food avoidance
- prayersReverent petitions to deity
- offeringsThings presented or given
- drummingPercussive rhythm-making
chanting · smudging · sweetgrass · cedar · sage · tobacco · firekeeper · doorkeeper
Address to deity
- meditationFocused attention practice
- sacredWorthy of reverence
- transcendenceSurpassing usual limits
- ancestorsThose from whom one descends
spirits · divine · mysticism · introspection · guidance · revelation · connection · gratitude
Lakota
Western Sioux people
elders · reservation · tradition · customs · heritage · Navajo · Apache · Cherokee · powwow · medicine man
cleansing
Removing dirt or toxins
- detoxificationRemoving harmful substances internally
- renewalMaking current again
- purgingForcible elimination of unwanted
release · healing · restoration · ablution · spiritual cleansing · toxins · impurities · catharsis · letting go · emotional release
initiation
Formal admission ceremony
- fastingDeliberate food avoidance
- prayersReverent petitions to deity
- offeringsThings presented or given
drumming · chanting · smudging · sweetgrass · cedar · sage · tobacco · firekeeper · doorkeeper · rounds
prayer
Address to deity
- meditationFocused attention practice
- sacredWorthy of reverence
- transcendenceSurpassing usual limits
ancestors · spirits · divine · mysticism · introspection · guidance · revelation · connection · gratitude · humility
dome
Rounded vault forming roof
heated stones · fire pit · entrance · earthen floor · canvas · tarp · bentwood · altar · mound · flap
sweatlodgeice house
Structure for preserving frozen blocks
cold plunge · ice bath · cold room · igloo · freezer
sweat, lodge, sweats, sweated, sweating, sweaty, sweatier, sweatiest, sweatiness