The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-09-01
TURKISH BAI
REID MAN UarD IT M v
 AEERIcA WAS D1scov
He Called It Medicine nW6S 4s Recognized Necessity in xvSr 2
 Camp of the Indian.

Long before the Turkish bath 6ed1x12
 known to civilized Americans kf6 &t6@ rigtnal denizens of the coAtinent HIT familiar with It's virtues. says ma GIT
 cago Chronicle Not that they hS1 TT
 elegantly fitted baths that nre i1oSi F Y \ prominent feature of every msErox tan city. They were content with M II gorgeous appprtenances. Hut they h&1 what they called a 'snnedicine sW8&<5y N and it's results not enIy conduce1 " well. These survive to this d&x and il are as popular with the red man as they were with their forefathers M The Turkish bath of the Indian NTH N home made. to be sure, but re1ofx{13 Il ed necessity in every camp and n 4on1 Il ture of the daily life Of the 1u5in1 \ Commentators have conveyed tht fnl \ pressi0u that habits of cleanlikegS 4f4 l foreign to the Indian. and that he nm
 an inporn aversion to water except 6Q< l culinary purposes.
 I By the avidity and frequency W<1> I which the Indian indulges in his hox1e~ l made Turkish bath he proves tho {ai~ 1 lacy of his belief and shows that he as we'll as his white brother can iiva l up to the precent scleaniiness is next to Godliness." " only In the practice <n3
 
 1 IT'S A MEDICINE SWEAE 1 the Indian. He calls that metho6 of { I abolution "medicine sweat" II is tn l him rite both physical and srfsifuSl. | for he c1eanses his person and tlsG0 makes medicine" to the Great Hpixft | That the rite Is religfousIy eh9afVe& was shown by the band of Brule Gi8ux Erecently encamped on Glen Islau64 Meax l the Exposition groNnd& at BuRale. on their arrival. even befare they raised l taeir tepee poles, they erectd s'Mpe1- 1 icine sweat. tent The framework oR this tent Is of hoop poles SO trained &ls&t I 1t is about nine feet in diameter. f9ux I feet high. fiattopped and aimest circez~ lar In form.
 l Just within the framework there N n bedding of straw abeut two feet Wzda. ana In the center of the tent tlzere le < hole in the ground about three feeE iis diameter and three feet deep There &8e no steam vents or pipes, no lnaxhie slabs. no rubbers and m sheets. When the Indian is ready for his ~neaiein& sweat a number of stones or rock2 are heated to almost white heat and dumped into the hole in the er0Mn6. -shen the red men. twenty or lwenkV five of them in a costume even Bcanticr than Adams after the faIi. range them
 
 fashion. their chins sn their xneea. and aheii arms around their shins. packed
 SC close together that even if they < would they could not move. When they are all ready blankets and skins and canvas are thrown over the framework. until the tent iz alnlesf alr- tight, two or thlIee buckets af water are passed in and thrown upon the hot sfones and the -medicEne sweat be- gins. The moment the steam begins Go
 rise the Indians begin to chant which ls kept up without interruption uutlI the sweat is over. Packed together enwoi- 0ped in steam so thick that none can see his neighbor. the Indians sit stn4- ing and pFespiring for an hour pr more. Not an Indian moves; he neither can
 TAKE IF A THOROUGH CLEANSING At a signal from the ehief ar tho medicine man section of the tent is torn away and with heave and wh0Op all the bucks make A peIineli for the water. A run ana jump and in they go 1t is just as much 8 sport for the oldest warrior as for the boy who has not yet won his war bonnet 0,aee more on land. the Indian. having DRr~ formed a duty he owes to himself 4Asz his neighbor, is ready to "make aedzS cine" This is always done after the |"medicine sweat"-~in fact. ft is pMrk and parcel of the ceremony. for tk ~ regarded as ceren0uy.
 The Indian. clean in person and eE this moment. before his commnniea with the God of his fathers. aupuos6d to be equally clean of mind and &tliie~ less of soul. now proceeds to the hiHh~
 est point of land in the vicinity Of the camp. thus Eing as near to the Great
 Spirit as 1t ig possible to do while on earth. On the way he gathers up a ist-
 tie soil. a stray leaf. some old tghacc0 quids. a dead fly or bug or two-in fact.
 anything which may be deemed refuse.
 for he is about to convey to the Great
 Spirit that he has cleansed his person
 and that all things unclean have &ane
 from him.
 These things that he has gathered hs
 places in piece of white cloth. which in turn Is fastened to the end ef a long
 stick The other end of the stick N
 thrust Into the ground at the ton ok tIe
 hill or knoll. and the geod Indian has
 made medicine. Two days seldom pass
 without the repetition Of this ceremony
 It never varies. The scene may change. the Indian may wander to new fields
 or be driven to them. but where he is there also Is his medicine sweat tent and there he makes medicine.