Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-02-19

he begins to k
himself were the In
uiahs ever cleaniy, and why are some of
them so very filthy nowadays? 1t is an in
teres'ihs problem to investigate. and it
brings out startling features regarding the
methods of some missionaries
In British Columbia aloLg the north
bank Of the foaming Thompson river near
the mouth of the Nicola are beautiful
rsountains. The slopes are covered with
saSebruSh and scattering pine trees Some
OF the peaks are snow clad and from them
TIekle little streamlets, which, uniting.
fern rushing. ice-cold mouI tain torrents
These are the means of irrigating the little
ranches or headquarters for the cattle that
Craze over the almost desert mountain
sides among the saSebrush and cacti but
we are interested in them because they
furnish The means for the ice-cold plunge
Of the Indians Turkish bath
over these mountains a little valley is
nesting among the peaks. looking down
lfito the depths of the rushing canon. Here
Is located village OF N'hIa X apmuh In
dlaifs. who live by hunting deer in the
mountains. fishing salmon in the Thomp-
son and raising small crops on their little
irrigated patches of land. Their houses are
bull- like the log cabins Of our forefathers.
hut in That dry climate they are rooted
with fir boughs covered with EARN. Near
this village PUSHES one of the little noun
tam torrents, past the bathing place.
lh'Vu-H III" irrigated 1eiQS and thunder
Ing Int the canon below.
What Sweat House. Are Like
BY the side of this little stream of melted
snow, al some distance from the village
among the pines and frs, are two curious
structures. One is made of small poles set
up like the roof of house. These are COW
cred with fir boughs, and finally, with
earth: the door facing the setting sun. has
blanket hanging over il. Within on the
south side, Is circular hole lin the
sround) about two feet in diameter and
one foot deep. filled with burned and
cracked stones. The remainder of the
floor is covered deep with a soft bed of fir
twigs- In front of the door one will see
traces of a good-sized fire. and many
stones, both those that have been burned
and blackened in the fire and those brought
hear. but still unused. This is the mems
of the village.
The other structure is similar to this in
essentials, but at this particular village 1t
is not covered with soil. II is rooted with
blanket mats skins when in use This
Is the sweat house for the women.
When the Nhia-Kapmuh wants to take
bath he builds a fire and heats a num-
Der or stones These he rolls into the hole
In the floor of the village sweat house He
then enters. closes the door with his blank
e. ana reclines on the new bed of fir
bouShs. Here he lies until in the close
small hut. with no opening for ventilation
and close to the roasted rocks. he perspires
as freely as do the stokers in the hold of
an OCEAN liner. He then rushes from the
house and leaps into the melted snow of
the mountain torrent. Returning to the
sweat house. he repeats the operat ton IN
III satisfied that every pore of his skin has
be- n cleaned by this vigorous treatment.
These Indians say they take this bath
about once month, and we may well i'm
aGine that that is sufficient. for it is not
people at the village is due to this trying
custom.
4 Means of Fabrication.
This thorough hath Is one of the means
employed to purify young men who are
undergoing the ceremonies attendant on
their entering the society of men. Besides
bathing. they must test their patience and
endurance. courage, strength, etc. Pa
thence is sometimes exhibited by picking
numerous cup-shaped holes in the hard
rocks and by making outline paintings on
the rocks with red ochre mixed in bear
grease In SOM tribes courage is tested
in such ceremonies by remaining near a
lonely grave several days ard nights. En-
durance Is taught in most tribes by fast
ing. going without water and by enduring
torture The girls. too. at maturity hav.
similar ceremonies before they can make
their debut into society. The N'hia-Kap-
nun girls test their patience by picking fir
needles on numerous boughs. They battle
frequently in the mountain streams using
hr bough towels TO purify themselves.
All these ceremonies are held as secret
by the adults. ard are not to be told to
people outside the tribal society, so that it
Is difficult to learn of them
Injury Wrought by Missionaries
When one hears from the old Indians on
the coast now they took daily and some
times more frequent baths in the cool
ocean, the question arises why some Of
them are now filthy. 1t has been said
II at when the early missionaries visited
the tribes Who INDUCED in sea bathing and
saw the sexes mingiing naked in the bath
they at once put stop TO bathing naked
and Insisted on the use OF bath robes The
Indians, not having bathing suits or dis
hiking to wear them, finally, under yigor-
Gus missionary supervision, gave up their
sea baths entirely. until now the young
missionaries do rot even know that the In
dams were once cleaniy, and that their
PREDECESSORS caused much of the present
MIN by dlscouragiDg nude bathing After
all, these people We're not naked in the
lnmodest sense of the term, for this bath
custom. being the prevailing fashion, was
not thought of in an immoral way. The
poor Indians wore more real modesty than
many seashore bellies possess.
perhaps the missionary did not see that
the naked Indians thoughts clothed him
as well as though he had procured a bath
ing suit from the traders store Let us
nope ne did not mean 10 cause any of the
min We SEE today in the villages along the
&C asst OF British Columbia
After ALL the dirtiest OF these Indians
are no more unclcan than the lowest of
our SUM jewellers, and many of them were
once pure. Had Columbus never found
them. perhaps their sweat house might
have developed into luxurious baths as