The Omaha Tribe.

Description: 

Sanitation was practically unknown and this made smallpox and measles so severe. Bloodletting was common treatment for ailments, occurring as purposeful gashes between the eyebrows. Herbs were used to treat diseases and heal wounds. Disease was sometimes thought to have entered the body via a worm or other object that could be removed only by means of magical formulas, by sucking, or by a shaman's manipulation. Some medicinal plants: sweet flag, Kentucky coffee tree, large bladder ground cherry, root of the cattail. The Milky Way is a path taken by the dead to a locality where they dwell. Medicine chant and a funeral song with musical notes and lyrics in the traditional language are reproduced.

People: 
Omaha
Location Description: 

Nebraska NE

Protocol: 
UNM Health Sciences Library and Informatics Center Public Access
Community: 
UNM Health Sciences Library and Informatics Center
Category: 
Ceremonial Groups, Death, Diseases, Miscellaneous, Plants, Surgery, Traditional Treatment, Tribal Actions
Original Date: 
1911
Creator: 
Fletcher, A.C.
Language: 
English
Rights: 
Records indicate that the UNM Health Sciences Library owns a copy of this item, but there may be a need to clear rights with a copyright holder prior to sharing with the public.
Source: 
Sitz Ber Kgl Bohm Ges Wiss, Math-Natgurw; 582-94.
Identifier: 
9900551
Subject: 
Bloodletting, Ceremonial Groups, Death, Dreams, Measles, Medicinal Plants, Mortuary Practices, Music, Sanitation, Smallpox, Thanatology, Traditional Medicine, Witchcraft, Wounds and Injuries
Type: 
Monograph