Opinion

Clara Caufield: An appreciation for a modern-day 'Teeth Woman'

Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Dental care in Indian Country. Photo by Native American Professional Parent Resources, Inc

Appreciation for a modern ‘Teeth Woman’
By Clara Caufield
Native Sun News Columnist
nsweekly.com

My Cheyenne name, Teeth Woman, was given when I was a baby by a dear friend of my great grandmother. The name giver was Clara Sweet Medicine, so we shared two names. Each Cheyenne name has a story of how it came about and is passed along with the name from generation to generation. Cheyenne names live a long time and in that way, so do we.

The Teeth Woman name is many hundreds of years old going back to pre-contact with the whites when the Cheyenne did not have any modern medications, metal implements for pulling teeth or other ways to deal with teeth maladies. Probably then, dental problems were not as prevalent due to a natural diet and absence of refined sugar. Still, they must have occurred from time to time, and as we all know, teething babies are often in pain.

Thus, during that long ago time a Cheyenne woman had a dream sent from Maheo’o, the Creator. She was shown a plant and directed to dig it up, preserving the root. This plant -- Echinacea -- has a small and black root, dubbed “man root” by the Cheyenne, still used today. When chewed this root is a natural pain reliever. Thus, it was often used to numb dental pain, including teething infants. So, that original Cheyenne woman was given the name Teeth Woman which has been passed down in the Tribe ever since.

Until recently, I have been blessed with strong, white and straight teeth, which my great-grandmother said was related to my name. But yikes! Not too long ago, due to an equine related drama, I lost a front tooth – extremely embarrassing. Since my nickname is Clem and I was minus a major tooth, many people probably assumed me a hillbilly or so joked my son.