Gladys Iola Tantaquidgeon (June 15, 1899 – November 1, 2005) was a Mohegan medicine woman,[1] anthropologist, author, tribal council member, and elder based in Connecticut.

Beginning in 1934, Tantaquidgeon worked with the Bureau of Indian Affairs for more than a decade, including several years among western Native American tribes.

Together with her father and brother, in 1931 she founded the Tantaquidgeon Indian Museum, the oldest to be owned and operated by Native Americans.

In 1992 Baker was posthumously elected by the tribe as the Mohegan Tribal Medicine Woman and was inducted into the Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame for her work in education and preservation.

Gladys started studying with her aunt in 1904, specializing in traditional herbal medicine, and attending classes in local schools.

[7] Penn anthropologist Frank Speck met Gladys as a child while he was working with her nanu Fidelia Fielding.

When Gladys was old enough, Speck invited her to study with him at Penn; he arranged housing for her with foreign students at his home in Swarthmore, enrolled her in classes, and enlisted her as a fieldwork assistant to broaden her understanding of Native American cultures.

She expanded her knowledge of traditional pharmacopeia by researching herbal medicine practices among many related East Coast tribes.

Working in the Dakotas, Montana, and Wyoming, she helped indigenous artisans preserve traditional skills and arts.