Dr. Gladys Tantaquidgeon | |
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| Born | Gladys Iola Tantaquidgeon June 15, 1899 Mohegan Hill, Uncasville, Connecticut, USA |
| Died | November 1, 2005 (aged 106) Mohegan Hill, Uncasville, Connecticut USA |
| Alma mater | University of Pennsylvania, School of Anthropology |
| Occupation(s) | Native American anthropologist, medicine woman, social worker, author |
| Employer(s) | Bureau of Indian Affairs, Federal Indian Arts and Crafts Board |
| Known for | Preserving customary Mohegan spirituality, Native ceremonies and art forms |
Gladys Iola Tantaquidgeon (June 15, 1899 – November 1, 2005) was a Mohegan medicine woman,[1] anthropologist, author, tribal council member, and elder based in Connecticut.[2]
As a young girl, she was selected by women elders for training in traditional pharmacology and culture. She studied anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania with Frank Speck. Beginning in 1934, Tantaquidgeon worked with the Bureau of Indian Affairs for more than a decade, including several years among western Native American tribes. Together with her father and brother, in 1931 she founded the Tantaquidgeon Indian Museum, the oldest to be owned and operated by Native Americans.
She published several books about Native American traditional medicine and healing with plants. For years she preserved vital records and correspondence of tribal members; these proved integral to the Mohegan case for federal recognition, which the Mohegan received in 1994. That year, Tantaquidgeon was inducted into the Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame.
- ^ "Gladys Tantaquidgeon". The Mohegan Tribe. November 1, 2005. Archived from the original on 2015-01-26. Retrieved 2008-02-24.
- ^ "Gladys Tantaquidgeon", Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame