Monday, April 9, 2012

Native Americans and Diapers

I have come to terms with the fact that I am a nerd, and I have learned to embrace it.  


I don't know if anybody else out there watches the show "Who do you think you are"?  I love that show...


Last week while watching I decided I was going to do it, I was going to start researching and interviewing people to see if I can figure out where I came from.  I knew my mom's sister had done some research so I decided to talk to her first on Easter. 


I found out a lot of information, one super intriguing thing to me was that my Maternal Grandma's-Great Grandma was 100% native american.  From what we know we think she was Dakota. My aunt loves this stuff so much that she is planning on getting her DNA tested to see if they can trace her back so we can know what lineage she has.  I have always been intrigued by Native American Culture since I was a little girl and I am loving that, even though many times removed, I have some American Indian blood.  


I couldn't help then think of how my long time ancestors raised their families...so as per the usual: a googling I went.


Native Americans were the first to deal with diapering on the continent and their solutions were environmentally ideal.  In warmer climates, babies went without pants and potty trained early while in colder climates Indigenous people used a disposable diaper that was fully biodegradable—and completely free.  They packed milkweed with peat moss or grasses, or sometimes filled animal skins with similar contents.  The result? A diaper that could be easily left behind to break down into the soil in just a few weeks.


Sounds scratchy!   This is what I've found so far, I am going to keep digging!


References:
http://www.articlegarden.com/Article/The-Diaper-Debacle--A-History-From-Hides-To-Huggies/86719


http://greenbabyguide.com/2011/01/12/a-short-history-of-cloth-diapering/ StumbleUpon
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6 comments:

  1. Very interesting information! Thanks for sharing!

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  2. That is really cool! And it might seem scratchy to us, but maybe not so much if that was all you ever used.

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  3. That is cool. Makes sense. I'm brule lakota Sioux so I guess welcome to the family. My gram grew up on the res, it is an interesting cult for sure :-)

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    1. Culture!!! Culture!!! Omg, stupid autocorrect!!!!!!!

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    2. I had a good laugh at your auto correct! ;) Darn phones sometimes!

      Is your grandma still alive? If so you should ask her about diapering! I'd love to hear what she has to say!

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  4. Ya, gram thinks I'm nuts, she hated CDing but thinks they're cute. I've tried explaining they're different and my mom (her daughter) has backed me up even though she was very reluctant to do it (my mom watches my little ones when my hubby and I are working) my mom hated CDing me and stopped when her gifted diaper service ended but agrees my little man has had far fewer blow outs than the older sis and cousins :-)

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