Two Moon Meridas (ca. 1888 – 1933) was an American seller of herbal medicine who claimed that he was of Sioux birth.

Early life and education

Meridas was born Chico Colon Meridan, son of Chico Meridan and Mary Tumoon, both of whom were born in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. Meridan claimed that he was born in

Devils Lake, North Dakota Devils Lake is a city in Ramsey County, North Dakota, United States. It is the county seat of Ramsey County. The population was 7,192 at the 2020 census. It is named after the nearby body of water called Devils Lake. The first house in Devils ...

, though this was never confirmed. Later, his marriage certificate recorded his date of birth as August 29, 1888, but this information is unconfirmed.

Career

By 1914, Meridas was selling herbal medicines in the streets of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

and

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. In New York, he met Helen Gertrude Nugent and later married her. Shortly afterwards they moved to

Waterbury, Connecticut Waterbury is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut on the Naugatuck River, southwest of Hartford and northeast of New York City. Waterbury is the second-largest city in New Haven County, Connecticut. According to the 2020 US Census, in 20 ...

. Meridas began to sell his herbal medicines from his house. Contemporary newspaper accounts stated that during the

1918 influenza epidemic The 1918–1920 influenza pandemic, commonly known by the misnomer Spanish flu or as the Great Influenza epidemic, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 influenza A virus. The earliest documented case was ...

, none of his patients died. This increased his prestige and clientele. His most famous product was "Bitter Oil", a

laxative Laxatives, purgatives, or aperients are substances that loosen stools and increase bowel movements. They are used to treat and prevent constipation. Laxatives vary as to how they work and the side effects they may have. Certain stimulant, lubri ...

that was widely marketed as a

cure-all A panacea , named after the Greek goddess of universal remedy Panacea, is any supposed remedy that is claimed (for example) to cure all diseases and prolong life indefinitely. It was in the past sought by alchemists in connection with the elixir ...

. In 1921, Meridas moved to a larger house and established an extensive and prosperous herb business in a storefront at 1898 East Main Street. He built his own laboratory at 1864 East Main Street in 1925. His business increased to such an extent that he had a fleet of buses for his salesmen and an airplane. He took money only for his products, not his advice. He spent lavishly but also surreptitiously donated to charities and to the poor. In 1928, Meridas was presented with the ceremonial key to Atlantic City, New Jersey after founding his Indian Temple there. Throughout his life, Meridas claimed that he was a Pueblo Indian. However, the

United States Department of the Interior The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government headquartered at the Main Interior Building, located at 1849 C Street NW in Washington, D.C. It is responsible for the ma ...

refused to certify that he was an American Indian, although he was presented as one in his publicity. On August 6, 1930, the

Oglala The Oglala (pronounced , meaning "to scatter one's own" in Lakota language) are one of the seven subtribes of the Lakota people who, along with the Dakota, make up the Očhéthi Šakówiŋ (Seven Council Fires). A majority of the Oglala live o ...

Lakota Sioux of the Pine Ridge Reservation gave him the honorary title of chief, because of his financial help during the Great Depression. In October 1930, Meridas and his wife traveled to Europe to meet Pope Pius XI. On May 3, 1932, Meridas was indicted and later convicted of practicing medicine without a license in New York and Connecticut. In November 1932, Meridas brought 26 Sioux to Waterbury to speak for his defense, some of whom stated that they had taken part in the

Battle of the Little Big Horn The Battle of the Little Bighorn, known to the Lakota and other Plains Indians as the Battle of the Greasy Grass, and also commonly referred to as Custer's Last Stand, was an armed engagement between combined forces of the Lakota Sioux, Nor ...

. They also stated that Meridas had been named an Honorary Chief of the Sioux. They later celebrated at Meridas'

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

estate.

Death

Meridas died on November 3, 1933, in

. He is buried in Hillside Cemetery in

Roslyn, Pennsylvania Roslyn is an unincorporated community in Abington Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally called Hillside, the name Roslyn came from rose gardens that once grew there. The first known person of European descent to s ...

References

American businesspeople American people of Mexican descent Lakota people People from South Dakota Herbalists Year of birth uncertain Place of birth unknown 1880s births 1933 deaths 20th-century American philanthropists {{NorthAm-native-bio-stub