The mud bath. That was used when an individual really needed, extra strength. He needed that real, I guess it would be like, super powers. You know you are talking about closer to Mother Earth. You get right in there with the mud and you are really part of her. It not only makes you feel good but it soaks right in, all the minerals. The Indian people a long time ago didn’t talk about all the chemistry, the iron, the zinc and all the different chemicals in the dirt, the mud. Later on you learn about these things. Anyways, if an individual was going out to hunt you knew he really wanted to be successful and that is what he’d do. He’d go to Teméeyenwees (mud baths). And he’d be so darn clean, so strong and no animal could smell you because you smelled like Mother Earth. You were clean. Then I know of many elders that go mud bath before they’d go to stick games so they would really be clean, almost like invisible and they’d be able to win. Even card players or Powwow people, dancers, contestants, rodeo riders, or maybe a foot racer. It seemed like anyone that wanted to have that real special boost in power. It is not as fast as a sweat. A sweat bath takes maybe an hour or so. You cut up the wood and put the rocks on the wood, you heat it up and you put it in the sweathouse and throw the water on.

The Teméeyenwees (mud baths) you have to have a special place. You have to choose, well even for a sweathouse you usually choose a special place but you have to have the right kind of dirt. It is almost like clay and you have to know how to mix it to consistency, how much water to put in there, how deep you want it so that you can be able to get out, and how many rocks to put in there so you get the mud bubbling. It is almost like imagining yourself sitting in Yellowstone, not that hot but hot enough to cook you in a good way. Not like a lobster or anything like that. It takes a long time. It takes a whole day to do it right and the preparations. It depends on who you are with or who is doing it. They probably have their special songs for that. Some tribes they probably have to have gifts for Mother Earth or the Creator. If you want to bring some friends or relatives, your wife or whoever it may be there are so many exercise or rules that you follow before it is done right. Otherwise it would be just life as they say, just any old way. When you do something that sacred you know it has to be done right otherwise something might go wrong. If you know you are missing something it is like sitting in a racing car with only three wheels. You know something is wrong and that is not right. In other words everything had to be prepared in the right way. It is best to go with someone that knows the proper things to do before and after.