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Natives developed many ways of farming that are still used today, and they taught Europeans many agricultural ideas, including tapping trees for their syrup, making essences out of herbs and plants, and drying peppers and other foods. The author writes, "The spread of American foods around the Old World began in 1492, when Columbus gathered the first plants to take with him back to Spain, and the process has not yet stopped (Weatherford 94-95). With these new foods, came new ways of growing them, directly as a result of Native American agriculture.
In one of the most interesting chapters of the book, the author talks about the advanced government of the Iroquois Nation, and how our country's government is based on it, whether intentionally or not. Many aspects of the protocol in Congress, and how Congresspeople are elected come directly from the Iroquois system. The author writes, "Another imitation of the Iroquois came in the simple practice of allowing only one person to speak at...
Repeatedly, the author shows the reader items that we take for granted today that were influenced by the Natives, in everything from politics to how to make rubber.
The author was thinking that the Natives contributed greatly to culture, society, and way of life in both North and South America, and they are seldom recognized for it. His assertions are important, because they show how the people take Native Americans for granted and dismiss them, but they were the first peoples of the Americas, and they contributed to modern culture in ways that are rarely discussed or acknowledged. I think he was thinking that Americans (and the world) really take a lot of things for granted, and that when we look into their origins, we might be surprised to see where their roots really take hold.
References
Weatherford, J. McIver. Indian Givers: How the Indians of the Americas Transformed the World. New York: Fawcett Columbine, 1988.
Some Ayurvedic herbs such as terminalia chebula or emblica officinalis, are indigenous only to India, and have no Western equivalent (Bushkin pp). Amlaki, Indian gooseberry, is the cornerstone of Chyavan-prash, the most famous Ayurvedic formulation, which is a potent anti-inflammatory, immune builder, and lower cholesterol (Bushkin pp). Ginger improves digestions and helps to ward of colds and coughs, while Gota kola improves cognitive function and increases collagen in veins
Weatherford Indian Givers Brief summary of the book: What date was it published? What is the main subject? What time frame does the book cover? Jack Weatherford's 1988 book Indian Givers: How Native Americans Transformed the World, described the many contributions that the Native peoples of the Americas have made to world civilization from the 16th Century to the present, which have generally been ignored by mainstream academics and the general public. Who
This idea strengthened the concept of prisons and fair treatment of captives currently seen in the United States and elsewhere. The U.S. is now one of the countries with the largest prison systems in the world. The North Atlantic Native Americans also helped instill political ideas of equal representation and democracy. Many tribes of the North Atlantic Coast ruled through a democratic process. This later helped influence the American
As in the first story, culture is not just a sub-theme; it is defined in the setting, in the conflict, in the characters and the tone of the story. In this case it involves leaving one culture (low income) and joining the high-tone community of wealth. Mrs. Jordan did not have to start suckling babies for a living, although when her son Leo, her own flesh and blood, becomes
Patriarch Nothing stays with us in life as powerfully as the images of our parents we take with us into adulthood. A harsh father, a loving mother, a single parent who was on the edge of exhaustion, but always available... The emotions attached to these memories affect our adult decisions. These recollections influence how we see ourselves, who we believe we can be in the adult world, and who we
I do not use a pattern to design these sacred baskets. My grandmother and my mother taught me the skills to construct them, how to doubleweave a flexible basket-within-a-basket with a single common rim, for example, but the actual design comes from listening to the cane itself. It speaks to me as it moves through my hands. It tells me what it wants to be, how it wants to be