106-year-old medicine woman dies

UNCASVILLE, Connecticut – Gladys Tantaquidgeon, the Mohegan Indian Tribe’s venerable medicine woman, has died.

She was 106. Tantaquidgeon, the tribe’s oldest living member, wrote several books on Indian medicine practices and folk lore.Her best-known work, ‘A Study of Delaware Indian Medicine Practices and Folk Beliefs’, was published in 1942 and later reprinted in 1972 and 1995 as ‘Folk Medicine of the Delaware and Related Algonkian Indians’.She became versed in the ways of the tribe’s spirituality and use of herbs from her grandmothers.Tantaquidgeon furthered her studies when she entered the University of Pennsylvania and studied anthropology.Tantaquidgeon earned several awards, including honorary doctorates from Yale and the University of Connecticut.Her work became known nationwide and she was called on by many western tribes to assist in the restoration of their ancient practices.In 1934, she served as a community worker on a Sioux reservation and also promoted Indian art.In 1940, she served as the librarian at a women’s prison where her work sensitized her to the needs of women in difficult situations.In 1931, she founded the Tantaquidgeon Indian Museum along with her late brother Harold, the tribe’s former chief.The museum emphasises the siblings’ philosophy that “you can’t hate someone that you know a lot about”.- Nampa-APTantaquidgeon, the tribe’s oldest living member, wrote several books on Indian medicine practices and folk lore.Her best-known work, ‘A Study of Delaware Indian Medicine Practices and Folk Beliefs’, was published in 1942 and later reprinted in 1972 and 1995 as ‘Folk Medicine of the Delaware and Related Algonkian Indians’.She became versed in the ways of the tribe’s spirituality and use of herbs from her grandmothers.Tantaquidgeon furthered her studies when she entered the University of Pennsylvania and studied anthropology.Tantaquidgeon earned several awards, including honorary doctorates from Yale and the University of Connecticut.Her work became known nationwide and she was called on by many western tribes to assist in the restoration of their ancient practices.In 1934, she served as a community worker on a Sioux reservation and also promoted Indian art.In 1940, she served as the librarian at a women’s prison where her work sensitized her to the needs of women in difficult situations.In 1931, she founded the Tantaquidgeon Indian Museum along with her late brother Harold, the tribe’s former chief.The museum emphasises the siblings’ philosophy that “you can’t hate someone that you know a lot about”.- Nampa-AP