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Non-natives have commodified "Indian remedies" and Indigenous spirituality since the 19th century

River to River, hosted by Ben Kieffer

The Kickapoo Indian Medicine Company was owned by two Euro-American men in the late 1800s who used the tribe's identity to sell so-called "Indian remedies."

Assistant professor Sarah Dees of Iowa State University examined this former business for her paper published by American Religion.

She also highlights the ironies of this time when "Indian medicine" companies became mainstream as the U.S. government enacted policies to restrict Indigenous healing and spiritual practices.

River to River host Ben Kieffer talks with Dees and Great Plains Action Society Executive Director Sikowis Nobiss about historic examples of non-natives misrepresenting cultures for economic gain while pushing stereotypes and causing harm when unequal power dynamics are at play.

Guests:

  • Sarah Dees, assistant professor of American religions, Iowa State University
  • Sikowis Nobiss, Plains Cree/Saulteaux citizen of the George Gordon First Nation, executive director, Great Plains Action Society

This episode was originally produced 6-26-23

Ben Kieffer is the host of IPR's River to River
Samantha McIntosh is a talk show producer at Iowa Public Radio. Prior to IPR, Samantha worked as a reporter for radio stations in southeast and west central Iowa under M&H Broadcasting, and before that she was a weekend music host for GO 96.3 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.