The PlowBoy Interview Rolling Thunder

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"The cleansing of the earth . . . starts with the cleansing of our minds. "

In addition to using prayers and herbs, medicine men employ the traditional Indian purification ceremonies, which cleanse the body and help it maintain good health. In the old days, when all our people lived by tribal tradition, purification—in the form of visits to sweat lodges, fasting, and other rituals—was practiced by everyone. Nowadays, our group here sometimes holds purification ceremonies in the local hot spring, where the warm mud soothes the muscles and calms the mind. We also have peyote ceremonies, in which we eat the bitter flower buttons—or drink a tea made from themfor purification purposes. Unfortunately, this ritual is often abused by outsiders. The peyote ceremony should not be used to get high or for any other foolishness. We use the herb in a way that we hope will cleanse our systems and our minds, so we can put ourselves on a higher plane of life.

While we're on this subject, I want to stress that what might be beneficial to one person probably isn't so good for someone else. It's said among our people that every race of humankind was given a certain medicine that's good for them. But when you use the other fellow's product, you can get into trouble. For instance, I've seen non-Indians make themselves very sick by fooling around with some of our sacred preparations, like peyote. Everything the Indians have is not necessarily right for white people, and everything white people have is not always good for the Indians.

PLOWBOY: What are some of the ways in which a non-Indian can purify him- or herself and achieve optimal health, without abusing tribal medicine or violating what is meant to be a sacred ceremony?

ROLLING THUNDER: There's an old Indian law that says, "Moderation in all things." I think that's the key to good health. I also recommend regularly cleansing the system in some way, either by careful diet or fasting. And it's important to eat wholesome, natural foods . . . although that isn't easy these days, with all the chemicals and additives that are put into nearly everything we eat and drink. The answer, I guess, is to grow your own food, so you can know what you're taking into your body.

Vitamins are a good idea, too, although I think the supplements should be used only as a temporary measure . . . as should any medicine. I believe that if a person takes them for too long, his or her body will gradually lose its ability to absorb the vitamins, and ever-increasing doses will be necessary to have any effect. In most cases, you should take them for no more than seven days in a row, and then only if necessary.

Personally, though, I prefer to build my energy by drinking a sort of kidney-and-liver "broth". I simply simmer some organ meats in a large pot of water for about 12 hours, and drink the stock . . . then I don't need any other vitamin supplements at all! Another traditional way to get energy is to drink the "thunder water", the rain that falls right after a lightning flash during a thunderstorm. That liquid is a potent source of permanent energy, because it's got power in it . . . including the prayers of the storm god!

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