Inventions of American Native Indians
What has made modern life a bit easier comes from inventions. Yet, you might not realize the variety of individuals who have contributed their ideas to make life easier. That includes American Natives, of which you just might have a percentage of Native DNA.
One example is the ‘kayak boats.’ Made of wood these small boats have always made travel on rivers and other passages much easier. The kayak was developed by Native Americans.
When you think of artwork, especially Native American art on pots and blankets, you envision a form of ‘abstract art.’ This artwork has many lines, angles and designs and a variety of colors.
For those Native Americans in the colder, snow-covered regions they still had to travel by foot, so they developed the ‘snowshoes.’ These of a flat base, with wood frame and then rope crisscrossed to allow the walker to move on the surface of the snow.
Many Native Americans grew corn, an important food source. But they also came up with making corn into ‘popcorn.’
Natives depended on plants in nature to help ease any ailments. The willow tree had bark that had ‘salicylic acid.’ This could be used for different medical problems such as fever, colds, skin problems, sore throats, coughs and stomach gas. Modern Western science doesn’t make note of this until the early 1900s.
Those areas with great deal of snow also needed some to protect their eyes. So Natives invented ‘snow goggles.’ They were carved from bond, seal ivory or wood. They had just slim slits to see out yet the eyes were protected.
Photo: An example of Native American abstract pottery from SW America.
Related FamilyTree.com Blogs:
Dawes Rolls – Native Indian Records
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