10 everyday items invented by Indigenous Americans
When it comes to Native cultures in the Americas, many people may be familiar with powwows, tepees, warbonnets, ceremonial (peace) pipes, and fry bread. What they may not realize is that many everyday items used outside of Indigenous communities can be credited to the ingenuity of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas. Here are just a few innovations that originated in the Americas.
Canoes and kayaks
For many, camping in the wilderness would not be complete without an excursion in a canoe. Although mostly used for recreational purposes today, the canoe was developed by Indigenous Americans as a vital mode of transportation. The dugout canoe, constructed from large trees such as red cedar, was shaped with bone, antler, or stone chisels and controlled burning. It was used predominantly by peoples along the northwest coast of Canada who hunted seals and whales and fished for salmon and halibut. The birchbark canoe, known for its sleek, lightweight design and maneuverability, was used primarily by the Algonquin peoples of the Eastern Woodlands in Canada. Constructed with the bark of birch trees, it is smooth, waterproof, quick, and highly resilient.
Today the kayak is enjoyed by many outdoor enthusiasts, but this personal watercraft is not a modern innovation. It has been used by the Inuit of the Arctic for thousands of years for hunting, fishing, and travel. The frame is constructed from driftwood or animal bones and covered with seal or walrus skin, which is naturally oily and makes the frame waterproof.
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Sunscreen
With skin cancer becoming evermore prevalent in industrialized countries, sunscreen is essential protection for outdoor activities. Native American cultures have used sun protection for centuries. Many groups developed their own sunscreen by using ingredients such as sunflower oil, wallflower, and gel from aloe vera plants (which were brought to the Americas by European colonizers), which contain beneficial compounds such as vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. In addition to plants, Indigenous peoples have also used animal fat and fish oil to protect their skin from harmful sunrays.
Snow goggles
Eye care professionals routinely warn of the dangers that the sun’s UV rays can pose to human eyes, advocating for wearing sunglasses with adequate UV protection to safeguard eye health and prevent serious conditions linked to UV damage. The importance of shielding the eyes from the outdoor environment is something that the Inuit and Yupik nations of the Arctic have known since at least the 13th century. To protect their vision, they devised coverings constructed from antlers, whalebone, walrus ivory, or driftwood, meticulously crafted with two narrow slits that limited the amount of light entering the eyes. The interiors were lined with dark materials to enhance their effectiveness in reducing glare and preventing snow blindness. Today snow goggles are an essential piece of gear in winter sports.
Pain relievers
In our modern world, where retail pharmacy chains can be found on almost every corner, people do not have to travel far to find relief from their maladies. When Native Americans needed something for aches and pains, the remedy was often just steps away in the forests near where they lived. A favorite was the American black willow, which contains the compound salicin. When ingested, the body converts salicin into salicylic acid, the active ingredient in modern aspirin. Native Americans used the bark to brew tea, which proved to be an effective remedy for pain and inflammation.
To treat wounds, cuts, and bruises, Indigenous peoples living in the Virginia area ground up the root of jimsonweed to make a plaster as a topical analgesic. Healers also administered it to their patients as an anesthetic during the resetting of broken bones. In addition, chili peppers, which contain capsaicin, a compound known for its pain-relieving properties, were used by the Cherokee to treat colds and colic and as a topical treatment for fever and gangrene. The Maya used chili peppers to treat asthma, coughs, and sore throats, and the Aztec used them to soothe toothaches.
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Rubber
A common item in everyday society, rubber is often taken for granted, but life as we know it today certainly could not exist without this substance. Long before the Spanish arrived in the 1500s, the Indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica—including the Olmec, Maya, and Aztec—and the Inca of South America discovered the process for making rubber. The first step was to combine latex, which they tapped from rubber trees, with the milky juice of morning glory vines until it coagulated into a rubbery substance. Further experimentation and adjustment of this formula produced different types of rubber, from which came flexible sandal soles, strong straps and handles for tools, and large bouncy balls that were used in the ritual game ollama.
Cable suspension bridges
From the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, cable suspension bridges are known not only for their elegance but also as a symbol of modern advances in design and construction. What is less known, however, is that Indigenous peoples of South America were constructing suspension bridges several centuries earlier. These ancient engineers discovered a way to weave together plants and grasses with llama and alpaca hair, which they twisted into tight cords. When several cords were combined, they became strong, thick cables. Able to withstand high winds and the weight of heavy loads from people and pack animals, these structures could span more than 100 feet (30 meters) across rivers and valleys in the Andes Mountains region, a distance greater than the stone bridges that European engineers were constructing during that era. For example, the Q’eswachaka suspension bridge, which still spans the Apurímac River in the Canas province in southern Peru, is a lasting testament to the engineering prowess of the Inca.
Baby bottles
In recent decades the ubiquitous baby bottle has undergone a plethora of improvements, going from the simple glass bottles in the early 20th century to the ergonomic BPA-free plastic bottles of today, with features such as anti-colic valves and adjustable flow rates. But before the baby bottle became commonplace in nurseries, Native Americans had already developed a rudimentary device with which to feed their infants in a similar fashion. The Iroquoian (Haudenosaunee) peoples of the American Northeast used dried and greased bear gut to serve as the bottle and attached a hollowed bird’s quill to serve as the “nipple.” Instead of milk, the infants often suckled on a nutrient-rich mixture of pulverized nuts, water, and meat.
Bunk beds
An ingenious way of accommodating several people in a limited space, bunk beds have long been popular mainstays in large families, dormitories, and military barracks. But credit for this innovation must be given to the Algonquin and Haudenosaunee nations of the Great Lakes region of the American Northeast. These peoples dwelt in large longhouses in which many clans resided together and space was at a premium. To solve this issue, they devised bunk beds—wooden frames overlaid with a large piece of bark, on which was placed an animal hide that served as a mattress. Blankets most commonly consisted of animal pelts. Beds were normally stacked two to three tiers high, but in winter occupants preferred to sleep on the lower bunks in order to be closer to the warmth of the longhouse fire and used the top bunk for storage.
Syringes
In an age when annual vaccinations are the norm, the sight of a needle, or syringe, does not faze most people, and little thought may be given to how these devices originated. Although it may make sense to assume that they are a product of modern medicine, think again. Syringes were an innovation of Native American healers that predated colonization and were already in use before a European doctor introduced the first hypodermic syringe during the 1850s. Using a small, sharpened, hollow bird bone to which an animal bladder was fastened, Indigenous peoples developed a tool with which to inject medicines and fluids into their patients or to irrigate wounds.
Sign language
Most people are familiar with sign language as a means of communication for individuals with hearing loss, but long before institutions for teaching sign language to the hearing impaired were established in the United States and Europe, the Indigenous peoples of the Great Plains were using a form of sign language called Plains Indian Sign Language (PISL), American Indian Sign Language, or, simply, “Hand Talk.” PISL was a vital tool for communication across linguistic and cultural barriers, and it fostered relationships and collaborations among diverse Native American groups when they engaged in trade, diplomacy, social interactions, storytelling, rituals, and hunting. PISL was also effective during interactions with non-Native persons, as was documented by Meriwether Lewis regarding his own experience when his expedition group encountered the Shoshone in 1805.