Gladys Tantaquidgeon
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| Revered member of the Mohegan Pequots, responsible for the preservation of their tribal language and customs.
Gladys, granddaughter of the first Sachem Uncas and niece of Emma Fielding Baker, grew up steeped in the tradition of her Mohegan tribe. In 1919, she began studying anthropology with Dr. Frank Speck at the University of Pennsylvania followed by field work among northwestern tribes. In 1934, Gladys was hired by the United States Government to administer new educational privileges under the Wheeler-Howard Act. In 1935, John Collier, Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs, offered her a position as an Indian reservation social worker in Rapid City , South Dakota .
She then worked as "Native Arts Specialist" on the Federal Indian Arts and Crafts Board, her duties involving the organization of the Indian Arts and Crafts Board, of Indian cooperatives and research and preservation of ancient Indian artistic techniques. She concluded her government service in 1947 and joined her father, John, and brother, Harold, as full-time curator of the Tantaquidgeon Indian Museum which houses native artifacts. She also served on the Mohegan Tribal Council. She is the author of numerous articles and a book entitled Folk Medicine of the Delaware and Related Algonkin Indians. Among her many awards are the University of Connecticut's "Tiffany Jewel" award and the Institute for American Studies' "Hall of Elders" award. | |||||||||||
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