American Indian Contributions to the World: 15,000 Years of Inventions and Innovations (Paperback)

by Kay Marie Porterfield (Author), Emory Dean Keoke (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
This reference work contains over 450 entries providing a panorama of little-known information about the rich inventiveness of the American Indians. For many years, they were not given credit for the numerous creations that stemmed from their cultures. For example, the Olmec of the Yucatan Peninsula developed a way to treat raw latex in order to make usable items from rubber as early as 1700 BCE, and expert American Indian surgeons performed operations such as plastic surgery, skin grafts and thoracentesis to remove fluid from the chest cavity. Each entry, many of which include photographs, covers a single invention or innovation. To be included in the book each item or process originated in North, Central or South America, was used by the Indian people and has been adopted in some way by other cultures. Entries include cigars, diabetes medication, geometry, hydraulics, scalpels, tax system, trousers and urban planning.

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Checkmark Books (August 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0816053677
• ISBN-13: 978-0816053674
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #853,179 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book on a largely ignored subject, December 8, 2003

By	Phil Konstantin "phil_konstantin" (San Diego) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a very well researched and comprehensive book. It is quite monumental in its scope. To give you an example, I opened the book at random to page 139. One of the listings on this page is Ipecac. Many households know about this medication. It is
usually used to induce vomiting. Children often swallow things they should not. The books goes into some detail about where the plant was first found, how it is refined, and how it came to be used by Europeans. It then lists some sources for further reading.

It also has a great Appendix section. It shows which tribes lived where, including many good maps. The Chronology section lists when different things were discovered or invented by the indigenous people. It also has an appendix which lists the book's
entries by area, by subject and by which tribal group is associated with that item.

I know how long it took me to do the research associated with my book. I can only guess that the authors spent a very long time putting together the material in this book.

EAICW has a plethora of listings and information. EAICW is 384 pages long and measures (in inches): 1.19 x 11.20 x 8.44. It is a BIG book. It would make an excellent addition to any well stocked library.

I highly recommend it.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent resource, September 9, 2003

By	Sarah Stockton (Bay Area) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As a mother of two teenagers, I wanted to find a resource on the history and contributions of American Indians to complement the rather scanty information they have received in school about the vital and facinating contributions of the American Indian cultures and communities that have graced our land. This book has been read and enjoyed by the whole family. The authors' accessible writing style, the user-friendly format and the generous use of illustrations make this a book I would recommend for families and teachers alike. As a teacher myself with a master's degree in education, I have a critical eye when it comes to reference books. This is one of the best I've ever come across. Thanks for writing it!

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Reviews Speak for Themselves, August 23, 2003

By	Kay Porterfield - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

American Indian Contributions to the World is the paperback version of the Encyclopedia of American Indian Contributions to the World. The awards it has won and some of the print reviews this book has received are listed below.

Winner 11th Annual Colorado Book Award, Collections and Anthologies

Winner Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers Writer of the Year, Creative Reference Work, 2002

Selected by Booklist as Editors Choice Reference Source, 2002

"This is a well-written book with fascinating information and wonderful pictures. It should be in every public, school, and academic library for its depth of research and amazing wealth of knowledge. We've starred this title because it is eye-opening and thought-provoking, and there is nothing else quite like it." Booklist Starred Review

"[an] interesting, informative, and inspiring book." Native Peoples Magazine

"I would strongly urge anyone with a kernel of intellectual curiosity: teacher, administrator, researcher, lawyer, politician, writer, to buy this book. I guarantee it will enlighten, stimulate and entertain...Native students and indigenous instructors must obtain their own copies of the Encyclopedia. Whether Cree, Mayan or Penobscot they will find a deep source of pride on each and every page. I can well imagine the excitement of Native teachers when they obtain the book followed by an eagerness to share its contents with everyone within reach.

"I hope the Encyclopedia will serve as the basis for an entirely new approach to Native history, one in which the scholar is liberated from the anti-Indian texts of the recent past. Ideally, a copy of the Encyclopedia should be in every class in every school across the hemisphere." News from Indian Country

"Highly recommended for academic libraries keeping collections about American Indians." Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries

"Native accomplishments finally get their due in this award-winning book." American Indian Report

"A treasure trove of information about the large range of technologies and productions of Indian peoples. This is indeed the most comprehensive compilation of American Indian inventions and contributions to date. It is most worthwhile and should be on the bookshelves of every library and home in America." Indian Country Today

"This large, well-illustrated volume is an excellent reference. One of the important strengths of the encyclopedia is that the information provided is balanced and rooted in facts, not speculation. Highly recommended." Multicultural Review

"Far from the stereotypical idea that Native Americans were uncultured and simple, possessing only uncomplicated inventions such as bows and arrows or canoes, these varied cultures donated a rich assortment of ideas and items to the world. This book can be recommended to libraries that support an interdisciplinary approach to student learning, such as units that integrate biology and culture studies projects." VOYA:Voice of Youth Advocates

"...a comprehensive, unique A to Z reference to the vast offerings made by the American Indians throughout history." Winds of Change (American Indian Science and Engineering Society)