Many explorers and countries have made claims as the first to have discovered the New World. The Vikings and Spanish have made compelling claims, but the true discoverers of America were the Indians. These people came to the land hundreds if not thousands of years before the first explorers from Europe or Africa. The Indians were not only the first settlers of the New World, but also far more advanced than many had thought them to be. The Indian culture explored and adapted to their surroundings very well.
One of the first Indian tribes that is thought to have come to America was the Paleo-Indian. The Paleo-Indians were nomadic hunters probably came across a land bridge that stretched between current day Russia and Alaska. Various tribes continued to come to the new world, and as exploration continued smaller tribes broke off from larger ones. The migration continued, until the tip of South America was reached. Cultures such as the Mayan, Aztec, and Inca were born from this migration.
Mayan culture was one of the most advanced of all pre Columbian cultures. Most tribes used hand motions or pictures to communicate, but the Mayans were the only culture that used a written language. Mathematics, art, and architecture were also areas where the Mayan people excelled. The Mayan empire’s peak was between 200 and 900 A.D . Spanish exploration was ultimately the downfall of this mighty empire.
For the settlers from Europe, Indians were savages that had no capacity to think or even be human. This train of thought was disproved by a group of tribes called the Iroquois Confederation. The Iroquois confederation was an alliance of six tribes in the New York area. Named for the Iroquois’s way of life the name of the league meant “Great White Pine Tree.” The white pine tree was an allegory of safety to the tribes. It also was referred to as “the longhouse” because the tribes made their homes in long wooden structures. Both of these names reflect the safety that the Iroquois felt in their alliance.
Mayan, Iroquois and other Indian cultures were far more advanced they we might think. From the amazing architecture of the Mayans to the diplomacy of the Iroquois, the advances made by the native Americans was monumental. The pre-Columbian Indians not only discovered America but also adapted to it. Even though Leif Erikson and Christopher Columbus did have strong claims to the discovery of the new world, the true discoverers were the Indians, who by their ingenuity and diplomacy had dominion over the land God had given them.
One of the first Indian tribes that is thought to have come to America was the Paleo-Indian. The Paleo-Indians were nomadic hunters probably came across a land bridge that stretched between current day Russia and Alaska. Various tribes continued to come to the new world, and as exploration continued smaller tribes broke off from larger ones. The migration continued, until the tip of South America was reached. Cultures such as the Mayan, Aztec, and Inca were born from this migration.
Mayan culture was one of the most advanced of all pre Columbian cultures. Most tribes used hand motions or pictures to communicate, but the Mayans were the only culture that used a written language. Mathematics, art, and architecture were also areas where the Mayan people excelled. The Mayan empire’s peak was between 200 and 900 A.D . Spanish exploration was ultimately the downfall of this mighty empire.
For the settlers from Europe, Indians were savages that had no capacity to think or even be human. This train of thought was disproved by a group of tribes called the Iroquois Confederation. The Iroquois confederation was an alliance of six tribes in the New York area. Named for the Iroquois’s way of life the name of the league meant “Great White Pine Tree.” The white pine tree was an allegory of safety to the tribes. It also was referred to as “the longhouse” because the tribes made their homes in long wooden structures. Both of these names reflect the safety that the Iroquois felt in their alliance.
Mayan, Iroquois and other Indian cultures were far more advanced they we might think. From the amazing architecture of the Mayans to the diplomacy of the Iroquois, the advances made by the native Americans was monumental. The pre-Columbian Indians not only discovered America but also adapted to it. Even though Leif Erikson and Christopher Columbus did have strong claims to the discovery of the new world, the true discoverers were the Indians, who by their ingenuity and diplomacy had dominion over the land God had given them.
-- Josh (Grade 10)
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