Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1901-09-09
AN INDIAN CEREMONY
THE "MEDlclNE SWEAT" THAT MAKES
THE RED MAN CLEAN.

It II Hfs Turkish Bath, So to Speak,
and 1t L. to Him a Rite, Both Phys
icaI ard sptritual-Making ,Medi-
cine tosthe Great&spirit.
Few, If any, Of the writer's on the
habits, folklore, and history of the
American Indian have devoted any
space to the red mans Turkish bath,
an institution homemade, to be sure,
but a recognized necessity in. every
camp and a feature Of the daily life Of
the Indian. On the contrary, COM
mentators have conveyed the impress:
sion that habits of cleanliness are for
eign to the Indian and that he has an
Unborn aversion to water except for
culinary purposes. g:
By the avidity and frequency with
which the Indian INDUCES in his home.
made Turkish bath he proves the fal-
acy Of this belief and shows that he,
as well as his white brother, can live
up to the precept cleanliness is next
to godliness," only In the practice the
Indian putsscleanliness FIRST - :g&
The term Turkish bath, is unknown
to the Indian. He calls that method of
ablution a medicine sweat" It is to
him ta@rite* both physical and spiritual,
for he c1eanses his person and then
2.makes medicine" to his Great, Spirit.
That the rite is, religiously observed
was shoWn$by a band. of Brule Sioux
Indians, who made q journey across,
the continent to the east and went into
encampment in, to them, a strange
land. -'s.s
On their arrival, even before they
raised their tepee poles, they erected a
medicine sweat" tent. The framework
of this tent is Of hoop poles SO trained
that it is about nine feet In diameter,
four feet shigh, flat topped and almost
circular in form. >.a@
Just within the framework there is a
bedding Of straw about two feet wide,
and In the center of the tent there is a
whole in the ground about three feet in
diameter and three feet deep. There
are no steam vents or pipes, no marble
slabs, no rubbers and nc sheets. When
the Indian Is ready for his medicine
sweat" a number Of stones or rocks
are heated to almost white heat and
dumped info the hole in the ground.
Then the red men, 20 or 25 of them, in
a costume even scantier than Adams
after the fau, range themselves upon
the stray. They sit mummy fashion,
their chins on their knees and their
arms around their shins, packed SO
close together that even IL they would
they could not move. S% S
When they are all ready, blankets,
skins and canvas are thrown over the
I framework until the tent is almost air
tight, two or three buckets OF water
are passed In and thrown upon the hot
stones and the medicine sweat be-
gins. The moment the steam begins to
rise the Indians begin a chant, which
AS kept up without interruption until
the sweat is over. Packed together,
enYeIoped In steam SO thick that none
can see bis neighbor, the Indians sit,
singing and perspirfng for an hour Or
more Not an Indian moves. He
neither can nor wants
AT d signal from the chief or the
medicine man q section OF the tent is
torn away, and with n heave and a
Wboop al the bucks make pelimall for
the water. d and Jump, and iii
they 90. 1t Isl just as much sport for
the oldest warrior as for he boy who
has not yet wen his war bonnet. Once
more on land, the Indian, having per-
formed q duty be owes \ q himself and
bis neighber isgready Il make medi-
zine This Is always done after the
~s.nleaieIne sYeat'95--in fact 1t is part
and parcel of the ceremony, fot II
regslrdeI as A ceremony.
The Indian, clean In person sud at
this mdEaent. before his communion
with the Godpf his fathers, supposed
ID be equally eseaa & mind and guile
less of ss1ni. now proceeds 10 the high
est pofnt$0f land It'd the vicinity i the
camp thus getting Us near fo the
areat Spirit 81 4 ~ possible tn az while