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Pre-contact Herbalism

Q: I am an Anthropology student in Native American Anthropology class. As part of our term paper, we are allowed to choose any topic on preContact subject. I am trying to do my paper on Medicinal practices and Herbs that are used today versus what is recorded in the past via oral tradition. Many of the books I have found either are generic in the categorizing of the herbs without regard to the tribes or what was the belief behind each herb or practice. Are there any sources you can recommend to find actual oral traditions or thoughts on medicines or practises specific to tribes? My goal is to show that these practises do in fact have a scientific basis and validity and should not be dismissed out of hand. Any advice is greatly appriceated.

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A: You could try this site, http://www.galileo.org/plants/kainai-html/index.html. It's specifically about Blackfoot herbalism, from an indigenous point of view. I've also included links to some of our webpages that contain legends and native beliefs about plants and herbs.

Hope that helps!
Native Languages of the Americas

Pre-contact Herbalism

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