1953} RITZENTHALER, CHIPPEWA HEALTH 179 



Part One 

 The Existence of the Attitude 



1. PREOCCUPATION WITH HEALTH IN DAILY LIFE 



Although health is an important topic of conversation among most 

 peoples, the Chippewa have given it top priority. I was impressed with the 

 number of instances in which I addressed to an Indian the casual rhetorical 

 question of ""How are you?", which in our culture brings forth only a 

 mechanical, platitudinous response, but which evoked a flood of details 

 from the Indian. Kohl (p. 110), writing nearly one hundred years ago, 

 • oflfers similar observations: "If two Indians go on a journey, they ask each 

 other a multitude of questions as to the state of health of their respective 

 families. Each relative is mentioned separately, and his present condition 

 described. 'How is your wife.-* What are your children doing — are they 

 all well and fat? Is your old mother in good health?" "No! she is rather 

 unwell.' "What is the matter with her?' "She has caught a bad cold, and 

 is down with a fever.' 'Have you a powerful medicine. for that? If not, 

 will you try this? Take some of it.' "Well how is your uncle? And are your 

 aunt's bad feet better?' 'Her feet are better, but she has begun to suffer 

 in. her eyes.' With such questions and answers the whole family is passed 

 in review, and all their sufferings and illnesses closely investigated." 



A more concrete manifestation of their interest in health is in the assort- 

 ment of roots and herbs used for medicinal purposes, hanging on the walls, 

 ceilings, and over the fire of nearly every home. These range from herbs 

 with actual medicinal effect (laxatives predominating) to herbs with ascribed 

 magical properties, such as flag- root, to be carried on the person to keep 

 snakes away. An active knowledge of native plants and their medicinal 

 uses exists, and one fellow had a native pharmacopoeia in which he had 

 transliterated in Chippewa a total of sixty-four remedies, one of which had 

 twenty-two ingredients. Densmore (1928, pp. 286-294) lists 143 different 

 plants used for medicinal purposes by the Wisconsin and Minnesota Chip- 

 pewa. While there was a minimum of scientific accuracy in the compound- 

 ing and dosages prescribed, many of these herbs have been found to possess 

 intrinsic therapeutic properties, and have been incorporated into our own 

 materia medica. The medicines or knowledge of them can be given, bartered 



