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.
