By Brian Vroman
The Ojibwe, and before them the Dakota, who lived in this region before the coming of European immigrants, had an intimate knowledge of the woods and waters and the things therein. They found sustenance, manufactured clothing, and constructed shelter with materials at hand.
At the Itasca County Historical Society there recently surfaced an article about early La Prairie. The author is not named, but he (or she) mentions that sources used were early newspapers and oral interviews with longtime residents. One section of the article deals with the Ojibwe, and includes information on Indian natural cures for various ailments. Since I have no medical training or firsthand experience with any of these remedies, I cannot endorse them or recommend that readers rely on such treatments rather than seeing their doctor when injured or ill. Yet, probably there is some truth to at least some of these ancient cures, and, if nothing else, they make for interesting perusal. Following is an excerpt from the article: