|
Nebraska
Press Series 1
|
The Lakota Ritual of
the Sweat Lodge History and Contemporary Practice
Raymond A. Bucko, Cloth: 1998,vii,340,CIP.LC
97-47504,0-8032-1272-0
Studies in the Anthropology
of North American Indians Series
|
 |
For more information
or to purchase this book, you can also visit the
University
of Nebraska Press
For centuries, a persistent and important
component of Lakota religious life has been the Inipi,
the ritual of the sweat lodge. The sweat lodge has changed
little in appearance since its first recorded description
in the late seventeenth century. The ritual held within,
the "sweat" consists of songs, prayers, and
other actions conducted in a tightly enclosed, extremely
hot and stifling environment. Participants who "sweat"
together experience moral purification and even physical
healing. Today, the sweat lodge ritual continues to
be a vital part of Lakota religion. It has recently
become popular among Lakotas recovering from alcohol
and drug addiction and among those afflicted with AIDS.
This impressive study is the first in-depth look at
the history and significance of the Lakota sweat lodge.
Bringing together data culled from historical sources
and recent fieldwork at Pine Ridge Reservation, Raymond
A. Bucko provides a detailed discussion of changes that
have occurred in the structure and function of the "sweat"
ritual over time. He offers convincing explanations
for the longevity of the sweat lodge and its continuing
popularity. The ritual survives because it is inherently
malleable, girded by fixed physical and symbolic forms
but continually subject to reinterpretation and creative
modification. Consequently, the Lakotas are able to
adapt this important healing ritual to meet their changing
collective and individual needs. Raymond A. Bucko is
an assistant professor of anthropology at Le Moyne College.
His articles have appeared in European Review of Native
American Studies and Mission. This is his first book.
Back
to Nebraska Press Series 1
|
