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The sweat lodge (also called purification ceremony or simply sweat) is a hut, typically dome-shaped and made with natural materials, used by Indigenous peoples of the Americas for ceremonial steam baths and prayer. There are several styles of structures used in different cultures; these include a domed or oblong hut similar to a wickiup, a permanent structure made of wood and earth, or even a simple hole dug into the ground and covered with planks or tree trunks. Stones are typically heated and then water poured over them to create steam. In ceremonial usage, these ritual actions are accompanied by traditional prayers and songs. Native Americans in many regions employ the sweat lodge. For example, Chumash peoples of the central coast of California build sweat lodges in coastal areas in association with habitation sites. The ancient Mesoamerican tribes of Mexico, such as the Aztec and Olmec, practiced a sweat bath ceremony known as temazcal as a religious rite of penance and purification. ==Similar structures and rites in other cultures== There are examples of ritual sweating in other cultures, though often without any ceremonial or mystical significance. Secular uses around the world include the indigenous people around the Bering Strait, ancient Greeks, ancient Romans, the northern Finns and Laplanders, and the so-called "Turkish bath" in England.〔 Some European cultures have historically used sweating for cleansing. In most cases the usage is primarily for physical cleansing and warmth, but in others prayer and songs may be involved. Scandinavian, Baltic and Eastern European cultures incorporate sweat baths in their sauna traditions, which are held within a permanent, wooden hut. While modern-day saunas are usually wholly secular, there are older traditions of songs and rituals in the sauna, and the acknowledgement of a spirit-being who lives in the sauna. Early steambath structures can be found in the fifth century BC, when Scythians constructed pole and woolen cloth sweat baths. "Vapour baths were in use among the Celtic tribes, and the sweat-house was in general use in Ireland down to the 18th, and even survived into the 19th century. It was of beehive shape and was covered with clay. It was especially resorted to as a cure for rheumatism." These permanent structures were built of stone, and square or corbelled "beehive" versions are often found, mostly in the Irish and Gaelic-speaking areas of Ireland and Scotland, though most seem of relatively recent date. The method of construction, heating the structure, and usage was different from the North American examples, and they seem to have been regarded as therapeutic in function, like the sauna, and perhaps typically used by one person at a time, given their small size.〔See, for example, "Sweat House, Co. Wicklow", by L. Price in ''The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland'', Vol. 82, No. 2 (1952), pp. 180-181, Published by: Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, (JSTOR )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「sweat lodge」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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