Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-06-14

orateness OF the architect. Usually they are
about one-and-a-half feet apart. When the
circle is completed the upper ends are bent
toward each other and laced and bound to-
gether. Blankets or robes are then thrown
over the frame thus formed, a hole about a
foot deep dug in the center of the covered
space and you have a sweat lodge such as is
| used by all the Indians of the prairie and the
Pacific slope. The structure when completed
Is usually about six feet in diameter by about
four feet high at the apex. Into this twelve
or even fifteen Indians will sometimes crowd
| and when describe the process they undergo
within some idea may be formed of the Joyous
ness of the Indian sweat bath. When the bath
Is over the coverings are removed from the
| willow frame. which is left for another occa-
| sion. Often the tops of the willows are then
united so as not to be cracked by a constant
bent position. This explains the circles of up
right and apparently objectless willow boughs
that are so frequently met with on the banks
of western streams and that like the little cir
| cular plats Of dark green grass that still mark
! the old buffalo wallows on the prairie form in
| variable food for puzzling conjecture to an
| eastern traveller.
| GETTING READY.
| Having selected our bath house, the sauaws
and couple of young girls so to work upon it.
The willow work is freshly fastene d, the hole in
the center is cleared of the stone debris of the
| last bath and TIE girls are sent to a hillside
across the creek to seek the proper stones for
| heating our new one. Stones must be found
| hard enough to reach red heat without
crumbling too fine, but they must also be soft
| enough to split in two or three pieces at that
| point so as better to diffuse the heat within the
| lodge. These are now heated by building a
| square crib-work of alternate stone and pine
| wood and applying fire beneath. Meantime
| the medicine man, Coal Bearer, followed by
Last Bull, Sits-ln-the-Night and another Chey-
| enne, appear on the ground These are to be
| my fellow bathers-making five men In ali
! While the stones heat the medicine man COM
| mences to dlsrobe and motions us toward the
lodge. Each Indian. with few simple move
ments, glides, snakelike, from his blanket
| garments and stands, bronzed and unabashed
| in naught but breech clout before the women
who have collected near us. Alas for the mod
| esty and raiment OF our so-called civilization
| they cannot, either one, be SO easily remoyedi
L 60 down beneath little bluff fringing the
creek and spend at least ten minutes in trying
with my towel to initiate a breech clout. with
considerable fear as to the solidity of this sin
gle garment, awkwardly tied on it is and
| with some embarrassment doubtless visible
through my smile pass in front of several
| sauaws and enter the lodge. Dry sage has
| been spread upon the floor, and upon this are
seated, smoking and silent, the victims who are
to be cooked with me. This to them, however,
| is
A RELIGIOUS AS WELL As SANITARY RITE
and their countenances betray grave and SOL
| 1880 ~'@0ANSSA"A' ho'o WOfu ulOCCaBQS
into the lodge and seeing that each Indian has
his blanket spread loosely over his drawn-up
! legs reach out for my officers blouse and
| cover my own limbs similarly. NY seat is di-
rectiy opposite the medicine man, an immense
! corpulent Indian whose probable loss in ayoir-
dupois after this steaming cannot help calcu-
latlng BY his side is piece of buckskin from
| which he has just unwrapped some twisted to-
Dacco, medicine rattle Of rattlesnake skin. n
bunch OF green-colored, aromatic grass (the
name OF this could not learn though the In
dams say they have to go 70 the high monn-
| tains after iD, and little calico sack which
| looks IKE an infants sugar rag. This sus-
] pected to be the beaver musk which CIark
| speaks OF In his own experience, and found
afterward that was right.
| THE PRELIMINARY SMOKE.
As take my seat the pipe, filed with canal
parts OF tobacco and killikinnick, is passed me
had decided to go the whole thing. so. crush.
Ing my repugnance, take a few puffs and nass
IL on. An Old buffalo skull had as usual been
placed as medicine in front of the LODGE
| opening. As the pipe passes each smoLsr
takes it in his two hands and points the lona
stem first to the four quarters Of the comnass
and then to the head outside. This smoke Ias,s
perhaps, twenty minutes. Each time the n;nS
Is 10 De reiighted 1t is passed outside to one of
| the squAws, VINO puts a live coal in its bowl
Once reached outside for my match boy and
was about to strike light in this way as an
Improvement on the coal, but was restrained
py murmured protest on the part of the In
diAns-mAtches evidently not being on the pro-