Indian Givers Chapter Summary

“Indian Givers” “Indian Givers: How the Indians of the Americas Transformed the World,” by Jack Weatherford, is a book about the American Indians and their contributions to the rest of the world. The book goes into great detail about the changes that occurred from when settlers first arrived to the Americas and began interactions with the Indians to the modern century of when the book was published, which was 1988. Weatherford did an outstanding job as putting into perspective how much the world has learned and obtained from the American Indians and their land. The book sheds light on these topics with a positive mood, yet also points out some failures of the Indians and their legacy. Jack Weatherford is a retired “DeWitt Wallace Professor

New foods were discovered by settlers in the New World in addition to new ways of planting, growing and tending to crops. One of the major implementations into the new world was the potato, which is now a staple in the diet of most countries. This crop saved some countries from famine when weather and predators ruined the large grain crops. The underground tubers became popular due to the higher nutrient content and shortened tending and growing time compared to the Old-World crops. Other introductions included corn, wild rice, tomatoes, and various nuts, beans, fruits, and spices that spread across Europe from Britain to Russia. Weatherford noted that the “Indians gave the world three-fifths of the crops now in cultivation” (Weatherford, 1988, p. 71). Agricultural experimentation was always ongoing by the Indians, which then correlated back to the Old World with new ways to prepare and preserve food as well as grow in difficult climates. The introduction of these new foods and techniques spiked a culinary revolution in Europe and the settlers in America. The subcultures of countries can be distinguished by their favorite dishes and cuisines, especially in modern America. For example, southern America cooks a lot of barbequed meat with creole and Cajun seasonings that actually originated from the Native Americans of that area with some French conquistador influences, too

The explorers of the Americas were both fascinated and disgusted by the Native American way of living. The Indians had no structured set of rules or government and did not even have a ruler. Their society was free from social classes based on land ownership, which was common in the Old World. A common nickname for the Indians was the “noble savage,” which meant “the man of liberty living in the natural state” (Weatherford, 1988, p. 124). Although the word “chief” implies authority, each Indian was equal to one another and was spiritually tied to the land they lived upon. Those coming from structured dictatorships and monarchies had mixed feelings about this and immediately felt superior to the seemingly unintelligent Indians. However, government and intelligence do not correlate. The lack of hierarchy did not mean the Indians were not smart enough to create one, but instead had the intelligence to live without one. On the contrary, some of the founding fathers got some of their ideas from the Native American tribes and lifestyle and implemented these into the new government formed after independence was gained from Britain in the colonial era. Everything was not always peaceful in the New World, though. Tensions arose between the Indians and the settlers because the Indians were not willing to give up their land and their