Arsenic concentration in the urine of patients with Blackfoot disease and Bowen’s disease

Extensive epidemiological study implicates that high arsenic content in artesian well water is the causal factor responsible for Blackfoot disease. We determine the arsenic concentration in urine samples of patients with Blackfoot and Bowen’s diseases and examine whether there exists any discrepancy of urinary arsenic concentrations among patients and the normal population. The analyses were made by hydride atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS) and the analytical reliability of the method was checked with a standard urine sample (ORTHO Bi-Level Urine Metal Control). The results show that the mean urinary arsenic concentration in 100 healthy adults is 63.4±29.7 μg/L, and those means for 23 and 11 patients with Blackfoot disease and Bowen’s disease are 75.7±39.1 μg/L (P vs controls >0.05) and 201±58 μg/L (P vs controls <0.001), respectively. From the analytical results obtained, we cannot conclude that urinary arsenic is associated with Blackfoot disease, as was disclosed from the epidemiological studies. However, urinary arsenic concentrations are possibly very closely associated with Bowen’s disease.     

Blackfoot Indian utilization of the flora of the northwestern great plains

The Blackfoot Indians occupied the northwestern plains along and adjacent to the eastern base of the Rocky Mountains in present-day southern Alberta, Canada, and western Montana, V. S. A. Climate and topography and, hence, vegetation of the region are diverse. Although primarily meat-eaters, the Blackfoot consumed some vegetable foods. They had a knowledge of plant medicines, which they used in the treatment of both humans and horses. Plants were used for other purposes including the production of dyes and perfumes, the manufacture of weapons, and as construction materials. The Blackfoot Indians utilized 185 species belonging to 140 genera of plants distributed among 57 families.     

Trace element concentration and arsenic speciation in the well water of a Taiwan area with endemic Blackfoot disease

Blackfoot disease is a peripheral vascular disease resulting in gangrene of the lower extremities. Although extensive epidemiological study has implicated high arsenic content in artesian well water in the endemic area, there is more to learn about the etiology of the disease. In this study, effort is paid on multielement determination and arsenic speciation in order to find out whether the trace element concentration pattern in well water in the Blackfoot disease endemic area is different from those of two control areas. Experimental results indicate that the concentrations of Fe, P, Na, and Ba in well water in the Blackfoot disease endemic area are found to be significantly higher than those of the controls, but they are still below the drinking water standard. The total arsenic in well water in the endemic area (671±149 ppb) is much higher than that of one normal control area of Hsin-Chu (<0.7 ppb), but is a similar level as that of other control areas of I-Lan (653±71 ppb) where no Blackfoot disease has ever been found. It was also found that the insoluble arsenic in the endemic area (21.9 ppb) is much higher than that in two control areas (≤1.8 ppb), and the concentration ratio between As(III) and As(V) species in the endemic area (2.6) is much lower than that in one of the control areas, where the total arsenic is also high (14.7). The possible connection of Blackfoot disease with trace elements, arsenic species, and possibly other as yet undefined environmental factors in the artesian well water, is discussed.     

Humic acid-mediated oxidative damages to human erythrocytes: a possible mechanism leading to anemia in Blackfoot disease.

Humic acid (HA) has been proposed as a factor that causes Blackfoot disease, an endemic peripheral vascular disease prevailing in the southwest coast of Taiwan. However, the relationship between HA and anemia associated with Blackfoot disease remains unclear. In this study, we showed that HA imposed damages on human red blood cells (RBCs), which were manifested as reduction in deformability of RBCs and hemolysis. At concentrations ranging from 10 to 100 microg/ml, HA caused lipid peroxidation in a dose-dependent manner. Such changes were accompanied by a depletion of glutathione and a reduction in activities of the antioxidant enzymes including catalase, superoxide dismutase, and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase. These results indicate that HA initiates oxidative stress on RBCs and results in their dysfunction. Consistent with our previous findings, the present study supports the notion that HA plays an important role in the pathogenesis of Blackfoot disease.     

The Lian Site,an Historic Log Shelter in Yellowstone County,Montana

Abstract

Thomas and Alice Kehoe have recently reported on an example of a Blackfoot clay vessel (Kehoe 1961), Their specimen is most interesting due to the fact that it is sun-dried and exemplifies a very late carry-over of the Blackfoot pottery tradition, The Kehoes postulate that this and similar-type specimens were used as specialized containers for the burning of sweet pine before medicine bundles. In support of this contention, and as a probable archaeological example of this practice, the author reports on the occurrence in central Montana of a similartype vessel which was found in a burnedout log shelter of possible Blackfoot construction, The find is analyzed in the light of Blackfoot-Crow relations during the 18th and 19th centuries.     

Chemical speciation of arsenic in urine of patients with blackfoot disease

Blackfoot disease is a peripheral vascular disease resulting in gangrene of the lower extremities. Although extensive epidemiological study has implicated high arsenic content in artesian well water of the endemic area bears some important connection with the disease, the etiology of the disease is still not clarified. In this study, attention is paid to chemical speciation of arsenic in order to find out whether the concentrations of arsenic species in urine of Blackfoot disease patients are different from those of controls. Experimental results indicate that the total arsenic, inorganic arsenic, monomethylarsonic acid, and other forms of arsenic in the urine of patients are significantly higher than those of the contols. The possible connection of those arsenic species with the etiology of the disease is discussed.     

Trace elements in hair of blackfoot disease

Blackfoot disease is a peripheral vascular disease resulting in gangrene of the lower extremities. Though extensive epidemiological study has implicated that high arsenic content in artesian well water of the endemic area, bears some important connection with the disease, the etiology of the disease is still unknown. In this study, attention is paid to multielement determination in order to find out whether the trace elements in hair of Blackfoot disease patients are different from those of the controls. Experimental results indicate that the concentrations of As and Se in hair of patients are significantly higher than those of the controls, but Ca and Zn are significantly lower than those of the controls. The possible connection of these elements with the etiology of the disease is discussed.     

Driving Bison and Blackfoot Science

Archaeological and ethnohistorical evidence of buffalo jumping is concentrated in Blackfoot (Nitsitapi) territory. Although the hardware of buffalo jumps has been documented extensively, little is known of the software, in particular the skills required to drive stampeding herds of bison over long distances to the deadfall, on foot, and often for days. The origins and nature of bison driving knowledge is explored on the basis of ethnohistory as well as Blackfoot chronicles, philosophy, and linguistics, and compared with the findings of recent field studies on the relationships between bison and wolves in the northern Great Plains. Blackfoot explanations of bison driving as knowledge learned from wolves are entirely plausible, and shed light on Blackfoot ecological methodology, as well as the development of human–canid hunting relationships generally.     

Using stable isotope analysis to obtain dietary profiles from old hair: a case study from Plains Indians

Stable isotope composition of human tissue reflects that of foods consumed, and can provide information about diet independent of artifactual remains. Here we refine and test this method by analyzing nitrogen (delta(15)N) and carbon (delta(13)C) isotope ratios in historic North American Plains Indians hair. Gas-source isotope-ratio mass spectrometry provides high-precision data for both delta(15)N and delta(13)C (+/-0.2 per thousand, 1 sigma) in single hair strands as short as 2 cm (100-150 mug). Because hair contains more carbon than nitrogen, if only delta(13)C data are needed, shorter strands (<1 cm) can be analyzed. This reduction in sample size opens new opportunities for analysis of small hair fragments found in archaeological excavations, as well as for analysis of seasonal variations in long hair strands. We find distinct isotope profiles (delta(15)N vs. delta(13)C) for two cultural groups, the Lower Brule reservation Sioux of 1892 and the reservation Blackfoot of 1892 and 1935. The resultant dietary profiles indicate a higher consumption of meat by the Blackfoot and a higher consumption of maize (or of animals that had fed on maize or other C(4) plants) by the Lower Brule. The two groups of Blackfoot yield similar isotopic profiles despite the passage of four decades, suggesting a strong role for cultural preference even as food sources change. Such stable isotope profiles can be used to link samples from the same cultural tradition based on their similar diets.     

Justice, Transaction, Translation: Blackfoot Tipi Transfers and WIPO's Search for the Facts of Traditional Knowledge Exchange

In this article, I examine the complexities and politics of enrolling one socially embedded form of transaction and knowledge into the terms or practices of another. I look at the correspondences and divergences in how the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) transposed the "facts" of Blackfoot tipi-transfer practices in efforts to harmonize global intellectual property (IP) regimes and to achieve "justice" and "empowerment." WIPO's translation work is set against a case where Piikani Blackfoot tipi holders used relational transfer practices to effect a use arrangement, bypassing the means and ends of IP. I argue that looking at WIPO's practices helps us to see anthropology's own epistemological, instrumental, and political constraints, while looking at Piikani transfers helps us to conceive of alternatives. This has bearing across anthropology's disciplinary spectrum where problems of knowledge translation are commonplace.     

Adoption Practices of The Blood Indians of Alberta,Canada

Abstract

Adoption is practiced in many parts of the world, but its mechanics are rarely spelled out in detail. The following paper is an effort to correct this lack for the Blood (Blackfoot) Indians living in Alberta in 1939. The introduction of a money economy and life on a reservation brought about certain modifications, but at the time this investigation was made “the Indians themselves” said adoption was “frequent in former times.” There is reason to believe that the motives for adoption and the varying attitudes of those who adopt and of those who are adopted have not changed radically through the years. Many parallels in adoption are apparent, not only in other Blackfoot tribes, but also in such North American Indian groups as the Crow, Omaha, Winnebago and Ojibwa.     

Arsenic,selenium, and zinc in patients with blackfoot disease

Blackfoot disease is a peripheral vascular disease resulting in gangrene of the lower extremities. Extensive epidemiological study implicates that high arsenic content in artesian well water is the responsible causal factor of the disease. In the present study the concentrations of arsenic, selenium, and zinc in the body fluids and hair of patients with Blackfoot disease, in comparison to age- and sex-matched normal controls, are investigated. Two analytical techniques that include atomic absorption spectrometry and neutron activation analysis were used for the analysis of urine, serum, hair, and whole blood. The analytical results indicate that hair arsenic of the patients is significantly higher than that of the controls, but still below the critical value of 1 μg/g. In addition, the patients showed significantly lower concentrations of Se and Zn in the urine and blood than the normal controls. The possible connection of these elements with the etiology of the disease is discussed.     

An Alternative Hypothesis For The Origin of the Name Blackfoot

Abstract

Recent ethnographic work with Cree informants supports the hypothesis that the original Cree. term for “Blackfoot” Indians referred to animal (perhaps horse’s) hooves rather than to artificially blackened feet or moccasins.     

The Giveaway Ceremony Of Blackfoot And Plains Cree

Abstract

The modern giveaway of the Blackfoot and Plains Cree is described and analyzed. It is a twentieth century development of formal ritual from a more diffuse. nineteenth-century social bonding practice. Today It serves to announce Indian ethnic affiliation social networks, and status ranking     

Humic acid induces oxidative DNA damage,growth retardation,and apoptosis in human primary fibroblasts

Humic acid (HA) has been implicated as an etiological factor of Blackfoot disease endemic in the southwest coast of Taiwan. Dysfunction of endothelial cells and vasculopathy have been proposed to explain the onset of ulcerous changes at extremities. However, little is known about the effect of HA on activities of cells in these nonhealing wounds. In the present study, we demonstrate that HA adversely affects the growth properties of fibroblasts, one of the key players in wound repair. HA treatment caused growth arrest and apoptosis in human foreskin fibroblasts (HFF). This was accompanied by a significant increase in the level of 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) in cellular DNA. The increased fluorescence in dichlorofluorescin (H2DCF)-stained and HA-treated cells suggests the involvement of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in HA-induced biological effects. Conversely, vitamin E pretreatment, which significantly reduced the 8-OHdG formation in HA-treated cells, alleviated the growth-inhibitory and apoptosis-inducing effects of HA. These results indicate that HA initiates oxidative damages to fibroblasts, and leads to their dwindling growth potential and survival. The present study suggests that HA-induced growth retardation and apoptosis of fibroblasts may play a role in the pathogenesis of Blackfoot disease.     

Contraceptive Charms Among the Plains Indians

Abstract

Although Clark Wissler and Sister M. Inez Hilger have recorded the use of contraceptive charms by the Blackfoot and Arapaho, the Piegan specimen illustrated here may be unique to museum collections. Indications that use of these charms survived into the middle years of the present century suggest the possibility of obtaining more detailed information about their use among other tribes of Plains Indians through field work.     

Role of JAK/STAT signaling in neuroepithelial stem cell maintenance and proliferation in the Drosophila optic lobe

Human urine contains a large number of proteins and peptides (the urinary proteome). Global analysis of the human urinary proteome is important for understanding urinary tract diseases. Bladder cancer is the most common urological cancer with higher incidence rates in endemic areas of Blackfoot disease (BFD) in southern Taiwan. The aim of this study was to use the proteomic approach to establish urinary protein biomarkers of bladder cancer. ADAM28, identified by proteomic approaches and confirmed by Western blotting, showed significant differences compared with normal individuals, so it may be a biomarker of bladder cancer.     

The Function of Ceremonial Sexual Intercourse Among the Northern Plains Indians

Abstract

Sexual intimacy as a means of transferring spiritual power appears to have been a Mandan-Hidatsa ceremonial trait borrowed by three Algonkian Plains tribes as part of the graded men’s societies complex. The Algonkian tribes modified the rite, which in the village tribes emphasized the role of father’s clan. The Arapaho emphasized the cosmic symbolism of the rite, the Atsina made it a test of self-discipline, and the Blackfoot stressed the dangerous power commanded by those who performed it. These modifications parallel the differences in kinship structure between village and nomadic Plains tribes discussed by Eggan.     

Constitutionality in Montana: A Decade of Institution Building in the Blackfoot Community Conservation Area

Constitutionality is an approach that addresses how people shape their own institutions and rules for local natural resource use even amidst politically challenging conditions at multiple scales. In this paper we examine thelocal public-private partnership known as the Blackfoot Community Project in western Montana (U.S.A.) and its efforts to forstall increasing social and ecological fragmentation by purchasing and conveying thousands of acres of divested corporate timberlands into various conservation ownerships including a locally-owned community conservation area. Based on a decade of participatory research, we examine the creation and operation of the Blackfoot Community Conservation Area (BCCA)’s key governance institution, the BCCA Council, and its efforts to develop locally supported and effective procedures for two of its most contentious issues: motorized recreation and grazing. The analysis highlights strategies of deliberate and incremental processes of participation, cooperation across property boundaries, experimentation, adaptation, and rule modification to find compromises for combined local social and ecological benefits. The paper concludes with a discussion on the tensions raised between these accomplishments occurring in a boldly neoliberal nation-state and among increasingly heterogenous communities, and ongoing challenges entailed in using the market and private ownership (albeit governed by and for a collective of  local constituents) as a strategy to foster resource ownership and stewardship.     

Book Reviews

Book reviewed in this article:
ETHNOLOGY AND ETHNOGRAPHY. The Horse in Blackfoot Indian Culture. John C. Ewers. (Smithsonian Institution, Bureau of American Ethnology, Bulletin 159.) Washington, D. C.: Government Printing Office, 1955. xv, 358 pp., 17 plates, 33 figs. $2.75.
The Indian and the Horse. Frank Gilbert Roe. Norman, Okla.: University of Oklahoma Press, 1955. xvi, 434 pp., illus. $5.00.