Native American Ritualism vs. Modern Rituals

Ritualism is present in many aspects of all types of religions, societies, and cultures around the world. The ritual is defined by several characteristics which make it an important, symbolic part of people's lives. Rituals are applied for all sorts of different purposes, most often religious in nature, but not always so, and are always meaningful in some way. Native American tribes are the origin of several traditional rituals, including widely used by many tribes across America today, the Sweat Lodge rite. Although the Sweat Lodge and other rituals belong to religious tribes, ritualism is by no means strictly limited to religious contexts. There exist many rituals in modern American society which are not so obvious, which share some symbolism with the Sweat Lodge. One example is the American judicial system, which while not obvious at first, is a highly ritualized, symbolic ceremony. Both the Sweat Lodge and the trial share many of the characteristics which distinguish ritual.…