Sweating in the Joint: Personal and Cultural Renewal and Healing Through Sweatlodge Practice by Native Americans in Prison

Abstract

SWEATING IN THE JOINT: PERSONAL AND CULTURAL RENEWAL AND HEALING THROUGH SWEAT LODGE PRACTICE BY NATIVE AMERICANS IN PRISON EMILY R. BRAULT

Dissertation under the direction of Professor Volney P. Gay This project is concerned with the traditional ceremonial practice of the sweat lodge by Native Americans in prison. In this dissertation I explore the ways in which the legacy of colonization and oppression affect Native American inmates, and whether the sweat lodge practice provides these inmates with a means of resistance to systems of oppression and assimilation, and, if so, how this resistance is accomplished. Through interviews with inmates and research, I discovered an interdependent link between cultural and personal renewal and healing for these inmates. Sweat lodge practices provide for learning about heritage and self in ways that can promote healing and growth.