The sweat lodge is an Indigenous Native American tradition that has different meanings depending upon the tribe who builds it and the number of saplings used to construct it. Built of bent saplings, generally in the form of the Plains wickiup, sweats are dome-shaped structures used primarily for purposes of purification. The larger purpose of sweat lodge can range from simple cleansing to spiritual rebirth, and nearly all tribes of the Plains and Northern Medicines practice sweat ceremony in some way.