With a mild case, a patient might not go to the doctor.
However, experts believe low rates are due to underdiagnosis. The more leptospira that initially invade the bloodstream (possibly via direct contact with berries), the more likely the disease is to be fatal. Although modern research suggests that cranberries can be a potent antimicrobial, that might not have been enough to slay the spirochete. There is some evidence that cranberries were also used medicinally-raw, ground into a poultice, and applied to open wounds. Wampanoag have long had seasonal feasts of thanksgiving, one of which celebrates the cranberry harvest. And they likely spent time hand-picking wild cranberries from bogs on Cape Cod. The Wampanoag gathered sharp-edged clams, skinned pelts from beaver and deer, canoed through streams, and were much fonder of bathing than were Europeans of that era. Prior exposure does not necessarily result in immunity because there are a number of different infectious strains.Ī clue might lie in the way these different cultures interacted with natural environments. It is unclear why this particular infectious disease should afflict Native Americans and not subsequent European colonists. Leptospira is in a family of spiral-shaped bacteria called spirochetes, along with the bugs that cause syphilis and Lyme disease.Īccording to the hypothesis, infected ship rats landed in the New World and excreted leptospira, infecting raccoons, mink, and muskrats whose urine further contaminated any standing fresh water. Meanwhile, just 10 bacteria, injected into the abdomen, will send a laboratory hamster to violently hemorrhagic death within days.
The tubules of an infected rat’s kidney are lousy with bacteria and excrete hundreds of thousands in every drop of urine (10 million leptospira per milliliter, according to one study). For unknown reasons, it’s the only animal whose kidney can sustain continuous leptospira infections. Its favorite host is the black rat, Rattus rattus (the rat so nice they named it twice), a nonnative species that was inadvertently transported to North America on explorers’ ships. The bacterium lives in animal hosts and is transmitted between animals and to people via urine in fresh water. Leptospirosis is what’s known as a zoonotic disease. A recent analysis concludes the culprit was a disease called leptospirosis, caused by leptospira bacteria. We adapt but still continue to live in the way of the People of the First Light.What killed so many people so quickly? The symptoms were a yellowing of the skin, pain and cramping, and profuse bleeding, especially from the nose. During the summer, spring, and fall, we moved to the rivers, ponds, and ocean to plant crops, fish and gather foods from the forests.īecause of many changes in North America, we as the Wampanoag cannot live as our ancestors did. We were seasonal people living in the forest and valleys during winter. It was up to the People to keep the balance and respect for all living beings and to receive all the gifts from The Creator. The Wampanoag Homeland provided bountiful food for fulfillment of all our needs. We, as the People, still continue our way of life through our oral traditions (the telling of our family and Nation's history), ceremonies, the Wampanoag language, song and dance, social gatherings, hunting and fishing. These people are descendants of Native Wampanoag People who were sent into slavery after a war between the Wampanoag and English. Recently, we also found some of our relations in the Caribbean islands. There are multiple Wampanoag communities - Aquinnah, Mashpee, Herring Pond, Assonet, Chappaquiddick, Pocasset, and Seaconke - with smaller groups and communities across the United States and world. Today, about 4,000-5,000 Wampanoag live in New England. The Wampanoag, like many other Native People, often refer to the earth as Turtle Island. We have been living on this part of Turtle Island for over fifteen thousand years. These villages covered the territory along the east coast as far as Wessagusset (today called Weymouth), all of what is now Cape Cod and the islands of Natocket and Noepe (now called Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard), and southeast as far as Pokanocket (now Bristol and Warren, Rhode Island). In the 1600s, we had as many as 40,000 people in the 67 villages that made up the Wampanoag Nation. Our name, Wampanoag, means People of the First Light. Many people use the word “Indian” to describe us, but we prefer to be called Native People. The Wampanoag are one of many Nations of people all over North America who were here long before any Europeans arrived, and have survived until today. This article was written by Nancy Eldredge, Nauset Wampanoag and Penobscot.
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