The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1911-11-08
INDIAN TRAINING.
How Ncz Pcrce Runners PREPARED for
Their Contests.

Cred Man, :
me men Of the Neg Perez tribe who
were set aart by their physical uuali-
to train for runners used to
commence their training in the latter
part OF October, at which time they
is:gan to take early morning baths in
cold mountain streams. These baths
were kept up through the whole win
ter season until the spring weather
made the water cooler.
Next on n schedule to be followed
by those training are the warm baths.
taken in a hole in the ground where
the water is heated by hot stones. mix
ed with cold baths described above. If
warm bath is not taken the sweat
bath is substituted. and Is prepared
as follows: First a skeleton of a small
hut is made from willow boughs; this
Is covered with twigs and dirt, a small
opening being left in front for a door,
over which blankets are hung. Near
this door a small round hole is dug
n filled with red-hot stones. After
all n trainers have had a plunge in
the cold water they enter this little
sweat house and close the door. Then
one OF the number pours warm water
on the red-hot stones. causing the
steam to rise and surround the occu-
pants of the tightly closed room.
After a while the victims emerge
and take another plunge into the, cold
water. This process they keep up I'M
til the stones are cold and useless for
the manufacture Of steam.
After a light dinner. consisting Of
merely a little soup, the same program
at a three months of the year,
sweat baths being INDUCED in in the
early morning and late evening-us-
TALLY after sunset.
The way in which a young bucks
endurance was tested With like this:
An old warrior selects q tree with a
limb atfording a tempting opportunity
to swing on it by ones hands. When
the night comes for the testing, the old
cut from his not bath hole. to leap
and catch the ling with both hands
and to cling to it until he is ordered
to let go" If he drops unconscious
hefore the signal is given it is a sign
that the training has not been suftici-
ent and he Is ordered to return to his
daily routine until such time as he
can cling to the limb for the desired
number of minutes. After this test
Ing is extended by the addition Of
short runs every morning and even
ing for a distance Of five or six miles.
AS the youths begin t o show endur-
ance this distance is gradually length
ened.
Then another testing. A small
hill so many PAGES high. is chosen, up
which they are required to run on
jumping out of the hot bath. If the
person tested does not reach the top
and back again he is considered not
yet in proper condition. Sometimes
the candidate runs halfway up the hill,
then falls and rolls down the slope
unconscious.
Such training gives to the Indian in
credible strength, agility and power of
endurance. AS an example n needs
only to cite Lawyer. who was killed
near Cul de Sac, Idaho. Compared
with his white brothers he appeared
to be about 40 at the time of his death.
but in reality he was past 20 years of
ase. 1t is said that at one time, be-
fore the Nez Perce war. he chased a
black bear for over 60 miles over
mountains and across canyons. He
might have succeeded in catching
bruin. but it grew too dark for the
chase, so he calmly trotted back home
again,