392 | Native Americans and Early Uses of Animals in Medicine and Research Chief Arvol Looking Horse talks about buffalo in the Lakota language as Rosalie Little Thunder translates into English before a Spirit Releasing ceremony for the animal in Yellowstone National Park Native Americans held a sacred ceremony in the park for those animals who were killed or removed as part of a livestock protection program (AP Photo/Douglas C Pizac) between animals and plants, Native Americans gained information about the nutritional and medicinal properties of many plant substances For example, the bear is a medicinal animal in Ojibwa culture, believed to be given the secrets of the Mide (medicine) by Kitshi Manido (Great Spirit) Because of this belief, the Ojibwa would carefully observe the bear in its environment These examples demonstrate that, in addition to using animals for food and clothing, early Native Americans also used animals to gain information about themselves and their environment Although a number of Native American herbal remedies have been adapted by mainstream medical organizations, the use of animal products in medical treatment has not received the same attention Animal products were used in a number of medical remedies in many Native American nations Moose and bear fat were used by the Ojibwa to treat skin wounds, and to ensure healthy skin in extreme temperatures Deer tendons were used as suture material by numerous tribes The Yukon treated scurvy by ingestion of animal adrenal glands Fish oil, because of its high iodine content, was used to treat goiters in Eskimo/Aleut nations Some South American Nations treated epilepsy through shock treatment with electric eels A type of injection device was used by some Native American nations well before the invention of the syringe in 1904 These were constructed from the bladder of a deer or