Pre-Columbian Civilizations

Incorrect Narratives

It was really interesting for me to hear about the large and developed cities that existed before Europeans arrived in America. Most likely due to lack of understanding and stereotypes, I have always been taught that Native Americans were not as developed as Europeans at the time. Generally we are shown images of small collections of tepees and maybe a longhouse or two when being shown Native American dwellings, but clearly that's not the case. In watching the first microlecture, I learned about the giant cities and structures that Native Americans had built, some larger and more developed than European structures at the time.

Uncommon Knowledge

Clearly we know very little about Native American populations and their lives, despite having arrived on the continent over 500 years ago. Although many of these tribes have living descendents who actively share their history and traditions, the average person knows very little. Although this can be somewhat due to lack of ability (very new technology is necessary to quite literally dig up historical information), it is mostly due to lack of interest. This just demonstrates how little Americans have historically cared for Native people, although fortunately we are beginning to bring histories and cultures to light.