Like a great many races the First American used natural elements and substances in order to attempt to become closer to ‘The Great Spirit’. Fungi, cacti, and various herbs were used along with sometimes, quite punishing regimes, for instance ‘The Sweat Lodge’, which was much like a Sauna or Turkish Bath. This Lodge which was a tent like structure, made of animal skin, also had a cleansing, refreshing effect on the entire body. Native Americans believed that consciousness change was sometimes necessary to promote a further spiritual evolution of the individual and eventually the tribe.