We are informed about the indigenous perspective on cultural traditions and the concern about native languages becoming extinct.
Each Indigenous nation developed its own unique governance models to control their citizens and expand their territories. These systems ranged from patriarchal and matrilineal-based societies to complex political systems governing multi-nation empires. Complex trade networks developed to satisfy political, social and economic goals.
Whether living a nomadic existence or in sprawling urban centres, Indigenous people created iconic, innovative and diverse architectural styles. Their homes and community structures fulfilled the needs and values of their society.
Maize from MesoAmerica, Potatoes from the Andes, biodiversity of the Amazon, Camus from the Plains, seal hunting of the Arctic, whale hunting of the NWCoast, Bison jumps and Fishing weirs.
1491: The Untold Story of the Americas before Columbus is based on the book “1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus” by Charles C. Mann (Knopf, 2005). It brings to life the complexity, diversity and interconnectedness of Indigenous peoples in the Americas before the arrival of Columbus. Presented from an Indigenous-perspective the series is a journey along a timeline that dates from 20,000 years ago to 1491. The origins and history of ancient Indigenous societies in North, Central and South America are interpreted by leading Indigenous scholars and cultural leaders in the fields of archaeology, art history, ethnology, genetics, geology, and linguistics.