The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1878-09-26
JOHNNY'S SWEAT OVEN.

~
rubbing his eyes and shivering. II
wish was an Indian, so l shouldn't
ever have to feel drop of water. I'd
rather be a Nez Perces prisoner, say,
at Fort Leavenworth, than soap-and-
water white boy-you hear that?''
"A very mistaken wish, my untidy
little man." said Johnny's uncle Jack.
g If you were Nez Perces prisoner at
Fort Leavenworth, you'd have to take
a bath, a sweat bath in an oven, and
then leap out through the air, and
plunge into the turbid waters of the
Missouri River every morning of your
life, rain or shine, hot or cold, sick or
well, so long as you had strength enough
to keep yourself from sinking to the
bottom of the river
Johnny exclaimed in amazement,
Il thought Indians went awfully un-
washed. Maybe, though, it's torture
ordered by the Government to pay 'em
back for scalping so many white folks?''
"Not so," answered Uncle Jack.
"'Tis Nez Perces custom, old as the
tribe itself. When Chief Joseph and
his people were brought to Fort Leaven-
worth, after their capture by Gen.
Miles, the first thing ordered was a
sweat oven, which the tribal architects
began to build at once"
"Is it a real oven? And do they
heat it up and then roast themselves in
it?" asked Johnny, with a look of hor-
rOr.
"Not exactly" answered Uncle
Jack. "This is the way the oven is
constructed: deep hole is dug in the
ground within a few feet of the Mis-
souri, River, and over this roof of
earth is formed, making a mound the
shape of an inverted iron kettle. An
opening is left in one side, and in front
of this rousing fire is built. Rocks
are heated in the fire and thrown into
the hole, in which there is supply of
water sufficient to create steam. The
Indians then walk into the oven and
stand above the caldron until they
sweat profusely, after which they leap
into the river, where the bath is fin
ished. Even the papooses are carried
in their mothers arms and soused till
they spout water like baby whales, and
it agrees with them immensely, for the
Nez Perces Indians are hardy race
and live to an astonishing old age.
You see that even the untutored savage
sets you a clearly example which you
will do we'll to initiate; so, run and
take your bath, my man, without an
other word of grumbling, and next
Saturday We'll jump aboard the
train, ride over to Fort Leavenworth
and see the sweat-oven and obtain Gu
riosities about Camp Joseph
Stimulated by Uncle Jacks promise,
Johnny spent the following hour hold
ing his bath in dark closet to produce
violent perspiration and floundering in
the bath-tub, playing that he was a
little Nez Perces Indian boy taking
sweat-bath.
Saturday he went to Fort Leaven-
worth, and found Chief Joseph and his
people looking remarkably contented,
and seemingly enjoying the interest
which they excited as "Big Injuns'' in
captivity.
To his surprise, Johnny learned that
Chief Joseph was an Industrious and
rather skillful artist. Upon a large
blazed tree in front of his tent the
Chief had painted a historical panorama
of the Nez Perces War upon the whites
which had led to his captivity and
transportation to the banks of the
Missouri. Indian lodges, wolves, dogs,
ponies. birds and men mingled in the
curious representation which the inter-
prefer i" Charley proudly pointed out
as Big Chiefs Big Story of Big Cam
paign."
After looking at the pictures Johnny
went to visit Yellow Bull, famous
warrior of the tribe, who looked SO
jovial Johnny could not believe he had
taken SO many scalps upon the war
path as had been reported. He an
swered Johnny's How with afriend-
ly nod, permitting him to examine the
many objects Of interest which the
tent contained, and even to strut about
in the w0lf-skin cap once owned by
White Bird, who is now with Sitting
Bull in company with the remainder Of
the Nez Perces who escaped captivity.
One of the rarest curiOsities was q
pipe taken from the famous Pipestone
quarry described in Longfellow's I" Hia-
watha." This pipe was smoked by
Chief Joseph's grandfather, Wah-la-
mut-ki, nearly q century ago.
Walking through the village Johnny
saw a group Of Indian boys and girls
playing ball, using clubs cut from
crooked timber made to resemble man,
moth spoons. The dusky little sports
men were shooting at nickels with bows
and arrows, laughing unproariously, as
jolly set of diminutive war prisoners
as one would wish to see.
But Johnny was most interested in
the sweat oven;'' and it is safe to say
he will not soon forget the lesson which
he learned from the Nez Perces Indians.
Upon his removal few weeks since to
Uncle Jacks farm, where he spends
his summers, he selected q spot close
by creek and induced the hired man
to build thereon a "sweat oven" like
that at Fort Leavenworth, only upon a
smaller scale. Hither Johnny daily
repairs in Indian costume, kindles his
fire AND stands up in his oven, taking
caro- to place above the hole q screen
which Uncle Jack has cautiously pro-
vided lest Johnny fall into the caldron
and come out boiled Nez Perces.-
Theodore X. Je,,ners, IN Wide-Ayake.
--.---
Recommendations