Re: Sweat Lodges

From: o_leppa <oleppa_at_1ZkjaBQyMoPH1q77bz_yhT_YlF9pO_Ns7779smGESbZL1oSzqhrd7g1cxBxT387h8OSQ_>
Date: Sun, 24 Feb 2002 19:43:10 -0000

> > Someone please tell me how it is that saunas, known to a single
> > cultural group in the Iron Age (i.e., the Scandinavians) are more
> > typical than beekeeping, a practice (according to the
archaeological
> > record) widespread throughout Europe and Asia since the inception
of
> > the agrarian lifestyle in Neolithic times?

I wouldn't want to be a protagonist of a sauna faction or anything, but to restrict bathing with sweating to one small culture would be kinda odd. To my knowledge almost every culture in the northern hemisphere has done it when they had enough wood - from greeks to american indians.

> Perhaps the word 'sweat lodge' would be more appropriate for our
use, as it
> is not so culturally specific as 'sauna' and emphasises the ritual
> connotations.

Agreed, let's use sweat lodge. But let's not think that sweat lodge would entail any bigger emphasis on ritual things please.

> I personally don't think we can start assuming that sweat lodges
are a major
> part of Sartarite culture, but there *is* a precedent (in my own
writings at
> least) and if we can show how and why they are used (and we've had
several
> suggestions so far) it will make a create addition to the corpus.

I'd be fine with no sweat lodges or with tribal speciality model.

> In many steads, sweat lodges may only be used in the colder
seasons, and
> spend part of the year being used as a smoking house for meat or as
a
> storage area. Healing and purification ceremonies will also use
sweat
> lodges, and again, these may be reasonably rare.

Why only in colder seasons? I don't get it.

> At this stage of the project, I think we should be as inclusive as
possible
> with all our ideas. We can explore a variety of different
manifestations and
> means through the four steads.
>
> Comments?

I included an bookmark for this kind of bathing to the bookmark section (should it be filed to what subsection? I couldn't think any good).

Otto            

Powered by hypermail