I received a letter over the weekend asking me how “To think Indian is to cure diabetes with sacred food and hoops.” The writer said surely “Indian thinking” doesn’t believe that Type I Diabetes, where the person has no or little insulin, can be cured with sacred foods and hoops!
Exercise and a good diet are part of every doctor’s recommendation for controlling diabetes. Many people do not know that research is being conducted at Oglala Lakota College on a native medicinal plant that mimics insulin in the body when it is ingested by rats, putting the disease into complete remission. American Indian researchers are using their natural Indian intellect and age-old wisdom to offer solutions to today’s problems.
I would like to take this opportunity for our tribal college communities and students to share ways that they “think Indian” in the classroom, laboratory, and everyday life as we continue to celebrate our native way of thinking. Please feel free to comment on this blog or send us an e-mail at [email protected]