Betsy Thunder
Betsy Thunder (c. 1817 – 1912)[1] was a medicine woman of the Ho-Chunk tribe who treated both Native Americans and whites in Wisconsin.[2] Thunder was part of the Decorah family and born near Black River Falls.[2] Thunder married William Thunder, a medicine man who was many years her senior.[3][2] William Thunder trained her to become a medicine woman.[2] Thunder passed down these skills to her four sons, one of which, John, also became a medicine man.[1]
Thunder was credited with saving the life of a child of businessman and politician, Hugh Mills.[3] Mills gave her enough lumber to build a small cabin and the people of Shamrock, Wisconsin helped her build in appreciation for her medical assistance in the town.[1]
When the United States government forced Thunder's tribe to move from Wisconsin to Nebraska in the early 1900s, Thunder refused and stayed in Wisconsin until her death.
References[]
- ^ a b c Anderson, Jean G. (25 April 1976). "Medicine Woman From Area Gains Belated Honors". The La Crosse Tribune. Retrieved 2 August 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d "Betsy Thunder - Wisconsin Women Making History". Wisconsin Women Making History. 2015-03-04. Retrieved 2017-08-03.
- ^ a b Epstein, Betty (27 September 1970). "Portrait Artist Paints Sentiment On Canvas". The La Crosse Tribune. Retrieved 3 August 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- 1817 births
- 1912 deaths
- Ho-Chunk people
- Indigenous American traditional healers
- People from Black River Falls, Wisconsin
- 20th-century Native Americans
- 19th-century Native Americans