 He was succeeded by John Yellowbird Steele, who had served as president before Fire Thunder was elected.In 2009, White Plume criticized the two deaths and 19 people hospitalized resulting from James Arthur Ray's crowding 64 people into a sweat lodge.Ray, a non-Native, multimillionaire, self-help guru, had for years been running sweat lodges and retreats for "Spiritual Warriors" — customers who paid a high fee.