Seven Sacred Rites
The first Sacred Rite is Inipi, the rite of purification. A sweat lodge is built for the rite. During the rite, water is poured on heated rocks to make steam, and prayers are offered and the sacred pipe is smoked. The Lakota see the rite of Inipi as a way to purify the body, and in the past this rite would be performed before any major undertaking.
The second Sacred Rite is Haŋblečeya. In Lakota Haŋblečeya literally means, "crying for a vision". This is the rite of the spirit quest. Just as in all Lakota rites, the rite begins with the sacred pipe. The person undertaking the spirit quest begins by taking the pipe to a holy man and asking him to guide and pray for him, and the two smoke the pipe. After this, the person undertaking the vision quest goes to an isolated place without food or water. There, they pray to be shown a vision and to communicate with the spirits for guidance and knowledge. The vision quest can last up to four days, and afterwards the vision is discussed with a holy man. Both men and women go on vision quests, and the rite is still practiced by the Lakota