Abstract:
This research was undertaken to examine the symbolism
surrounding the sweatlodge and how it pertained to women in
Native American cultures. After an extensive literature
search I determined that there was little or no information
concerning the use of the sweatlodge by women. The goal of
the research was an attempt to fill the gap concerning
womens' usage of the sweatlodge and the reason for the
continuation of the sweatlodge tradition when so many other
traditions had become lost. To fulfill this goal I chose to
work with women from the Nez Perce reservation at Lapwai,
Idaho.
The women of the Nez Perce use the sweatlodge to cleanse
the body and to achieve social harmony in their daily lives.
It is a forum for releasing tensions, an opportunity of
marriage counseling, and a method of communing with the
spiritworid. In spite of the fact that my women consultants denied any religious motivations, it appears that the
sweatlodge is in fact a religious activity. By
participating in the sweatlodge the spiritual traditions are
being kept alive. Change has occurred with great regularity
since the appearance of the Europeans, but even with all
that has been lost, the sweatlodge is still an integral part
of the culture.
