Native Americans, or American Indians, have distinct tribes and each tribe has different features, but at the end they all had a great influence on today’s American culture. More than half of our food supply comes from American Indian agriculture. Many of our established places have names derived from their language. Places such as cities, states, and even lakes. The Native Americans were hunters and gatherers and they created things that our society has built on and improved. Many of the games they played and foods they ate are the basis of today. The earliest information we have of Native Americans dates back to 1942 when Christopher Columbus sailed to the Americas. Since then, we have created places on the internet and museums, such as the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian Institution, in order to learn more about their culture and preserve the things people have found representing these American Indians. Anything they needed was made from scratch or created from the resources around them. They did not have stores to go to nor did they have half of the commodities we have today. They used materials such clay, wood, and parts of animals to build. An example would be their homes, known as tipis or teepees. They were made from animal skins and wooden poles. In order to build these tipis, the men would need to kill the animals and collect wood. Then the women would help skin the animal and dry the hide. From killing animals, the Indians learned they could eat the different species and they used as much of the animal as possible. The skins and hides were made into shoes and clothes for the tribes. Today, we still hunt animals for food and even clothing and we still fish, although sometimes just for leisure. American Indians, aside from hunting, learned to gather fruits and vegetables and also learned how to farm the lands they lived on. They ate a plant they saw, found out it was edible, noticed it appeared all over the land, and realized that they could regrow it using the roots or seeds. The women were in charge of the planting and farming and eventually had a large variety of different renewable foods. One event which spread the idea of hunting and gathering was Squanto and the Pilgrims. He taught them how to catch fish, hunt, and plant foods. Today, some of these foods are known as potatoes, corn, beans, squash, and different melons. Although many of us do not directly grow these foods ourselves, we often buy them from markets or grocery stores. Back in the time of the American Indians, they did not have any of the extensive technology that we have today so they created games to keep them occupied.
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These games included tag and tug-of-war, which are still played in schools and at playgrounds. The Native Americans also influenced our youth groups such as Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. Our youth groups today practice many of the crafts and traditions in order to earn pins. Their culture was also influential on today’s government. The Iroquoian League of Nations had a government in where there was central power and then individual power for the states which is very similar to the United States
These games included tag and tug-of-war, which are still played in schools and at playgrounds. The Native Americans also influenced our youth groups such as Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. Our youth groups today practice many of the crafts and traditions in order to earn pins. Their culture was also influential on today’s government. The Iroquoian League of Nations had a government in where there was central power and then individual power for the states which is very similar to the United States