Native Americans Play A Large Role In American History
American History is a fascinating subject. Within this subject, students explore the beginning growth of America. Most college history courses can devote a significant amount of time to America’s native inhabitants, the Native American Indians. During the course of study, students can fully explore influential customs and ideas that Native Americans introduced to Europeans, and eventually spread around the world.
American Indians had a significant impact on agriculture. For thousands of years, they cultivated a variety of crops. In the late 1400′s, various crops were introduced to Europeans. Today, much of the world’s food crops come from plants that were first grown in the Americas. They include crops such as corn, potatoes, beans, tomatoes, peanuts, and pineapples. The Europeans carried these new crops with them around the world, and thus, changed the diet of the world.
The world encompasses some of the most rigorous athletic sports because of Native Americans. The Indians introduced “Baggataway,” otherwise known as lacrosse. The game was originally developed to teach young men agility, quick thinking, and teamwork – skills needed to be successful warriors and hunters. Today, lacrosse is a very popular sport in American schools. Other Native American-influenced sports include field hockey (ice hockey derived from this sport), kayaking, archery, swimming, wrestling, and track.
Native Americans influence much of the world’s language. Europeans adopted words for clothing (poncho, parka, moccasin), words that name our trees (hickory, pecan), and inventions, such as the hammock. Half of the United States has Indian names, including Missouri, Alabama, and Massachusetts, to name a few. In addition, many of our rivers bare Native American names, like the Mississippi and the Potomac.
Native Americans helped European settlers learn how to adopt technology in order to survive in North America. The Indians taught newly arrived settlers hunting skills conducive to the American land, which was instrumental for fur-bearing animal trapping, a profitable business for Europeans. Settlers learned how to properly and effectively explore unmapped land and travel by way of water using Indian inventions and environmental resources.
The Indians exposed Europe to indigenous crafts and tools that maintained their existence in America long before settlers reached the shores. American Indian culture has also deeply influenced the world of art. Contributions in pottery, fabric weaving, leather crafting, and jewelry design have had a major impact worldwide. Today, American Indian artwork is well respected and highly prized around the globe.
One of the most significant contributions that the Native American culture passed on to the world is their harmony with the natural world. Today, we recognize the importance of recycling, preserving natural resources, and clean air. The world’s awareness is due in part to the Indians’ respect for nature and their viewpoint that if the natural world were disrupted, misfortune would result.
This article only touches upon the many contributions Native Americans bestowed upon the world. Incorporating American History into one’s degree program can invite a student to learn even more about the influential impact the native people of America had on forming the country we know today and its world-wide effect. To really explore the many cultural influences on the world, your best bet would be to earn a history degree.