The Lakota Ritual of the Sweat Lodge: History and Contemporary Practice (Studies in the Anthropology of North American Indians) - Hardcover

Bucko, Raymond A.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0803212720 ISBN 13: 9780803212725

Publisher: University of Nebraska Press, 1998

Synopsis

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.

About this title

Review:

"With an extended description of such an experience, Raymond A. Bucko begins his comprehensive study of the sweat-lodge rituals practised by the Lakota people on the big Pine Ridge reservation of South Dakota. If you delve beneath the surface , you find that Bucko's position has some interesting complexities about it. He points out that fieldworkers and anthropologists tend to create an orthodoxy where none has previously existed. Though he searches for authentic illustrations of the sweating practice, he rightly wonders what can be considered "authentic" in a time when Lakotas are increasingly influenced by Hollywood movies and New Age nostrums... Bucko stands in the debate as a champion of variation." - TLS, May 7, 1999

From the Back Cover:

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 itself consists of songs, prayers, and other actions conducted in a tightly enclosed, dark, and extremely hot environment. Participants who "sweat" together experience moral strengthening, physical healing, and the renewal of social and cultural bonds. Today, the sweat lodge ritual continues to be a vital part of Lakota religion. It has also been open to use, often controversial, by non-Indians. The ritual has recently become popular among Lakotas recovering from alcohol and drug addiction.

This 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 fieldwork on Pine Ridge Reservation, Raymond A. Bucko provides a detailed discussion of continuity and changes in the "sweat" ritual over time. He offers convincing explanations for the longevity of the ceremony and its continuing popularity.

About this edition

• Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0803212720
• ISBN 13: 9780803212725
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 340