Red Earth White Lies (Book)

I just got done reading the book Red Earth White Lies: Native Americans and the Myth of Scientific Fact written by Vine Deloria Jr. and I can say that it is one of the best books I have read thus far. I can clearly say that I love this book!!!

In my opinion Vine Deloria Jr. in this book has answered many of the questions that I have had about the land we now know as the "Americas." His book to me exposes the ways in which the scientific establishment has found meticulous ways to promote a eurocentric and racist view of the Indigenous people's of the Americas. Furthermore he sheds light on the vast knowledge that American Indians have of their lands from how they were formed to the flora and fauna that existed. I truly agree with Vine Deloria Jr's argument that the reason why this knowledge has been cast aside as myth and fanciful stories is in order to continue propogating an erroneous view that American Indians were primitive people's that arrived to these lands only 12,000 years ago and to assert a eurocentric monopoly on academic knowledge. Additionally the other reason that American Indian knowledge has been suppressed is to justify the robbing of their lands and pillaging of their ways of life and resources.

I truly recommend everyone to read this book.

Astha Nemanha,

Dr. Ventura

The Value of Medicinal Teas

Now a days when one goes to the grocery store, health food store etc. here in the United States one sees shelves full of capsules, tinctures and other liquids in beautifully decorated and colorful bottles, most of the time these herbal supplements are quite steep and out of the reach of most of us. I dont want to degrade the importance and value of these products that are often times convenient, easy to transport and sometimes are the only way to get a hold of a fragile herb. Nevertheless we must not forget the humble medicinal herbal tea that has been used for millenia all over the world.

The medicinal herbal tea is not any less effective than other types of herbal preparations. There is a myth that is propogated in alternative medicine circles that states that herbal teas are not necessary because they have been substituted by more modern forms of preparation. In my opinion this boils down to nothing more than a smear campaign against teas in order to sell more expensive products

Photo acquired from: http://supplementalscience.wordpress.com/2009/02/26/cuppa-tea-govna/

Below I have provided some of my reasons as to why I believe medicinal teas are extremely valuable:

1) They are cheap

2) The person has a personal interaction with the herb they are going to use

3) The preparer is directly involved in the process of making their medicine

4) They are easy to make

5) There is no Alcohol involved

6) They are fast to employ

7) Its great to sip a cup of tea with a group of friends

8) They are effective

Ashta Nemanha Nuiknew (until next time my friends)