Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 291, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 December 1913 — “WITCH WOOD," WISE SQUAW [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

“WITCH WOOD," WISE SQUAW

Indian Woman of Blackfeet Tribe, Who for Fifty Years Has Handled “Medicine Pot." Denver, Colo. —Ne-ah-tuh, or “Witch Wood.” Wise squaw of the Blackfeet tribe, for fifty years no one else has

gathered the firewood that has blazed beneath the “medicine pot” in the mammoth council tepee. The Blackfeet are mlgiity superstitious, and

while the “Wood Witch” lives no other squaw can kindle the sacred fire for the oracles of the tribe. The “Wood Witch” is a dual specialist for her tribe, being the only one. left who can get the right “twist” on the ladle in stirring the "medicine pot,” when it comes to making the brilliant colored vegetable paints. Most Indian tribes today buy the commercial rouge and other mineralized dyes sold by the whites. Not so with the proud braves of the Glacier Park reservation. They spurn the use of anything but the pure vegetable colors in decorating their faces for festive occasions And Ne-ah-tuh holds the secret of extracting these from roots and herbs which she gathers in the Rocky mountain fastnesses. These gay colors must be made fresh for each application. Ne-ab-tub and the rest of the Glacier Park reservation Indians are steadfast to the primeval traits of their tribe.

“Witch Wood" Wise Squaw.