American
Indian Contributions
New words, foods, and the hammock are only a few of the many
American Indian contributions to our modern society...
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English Words Borrowed from Indian Languages
There are around one thousand words found in the English
language that were borrowed from American Indians. Most of these words
are nouns. Here are a few, with dates and origins according to the
Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary:
- bayou (Choctaw, 1763)
- caribou (Micmac, 1665)
- hickory (Algonquian, 1670)
- hominy (Algonquian, 1629)
- moccasin (Algonquian, 1612)
- moose (Algonquian, 1603)
- muskrat (Algonquian, 1607)
- opossum (Algonquian, 1610, literally, white
animal)
- pecan (Algonquian or Ojibwa, 1712)
- persimmon (Algonquian, 1612)
- powwow (Narraganset or Massachuset, 1625)
- raccoon (Algonquian, 1608, originally spelled
rahaughcum)
- sasquatch (Salishan, 1929)
- skunk (Algonquian, 1634)
- squash (Narraganset, 1643)
- terrapin (Algonquian, 1613)
- tipi (Dakota, 1743)
- tobacco (Taino, 1565)
- toboggan (Algonquian, Micmac, 1820
- tomahawk (Algonquian, 1612)
Names of States
There are twenty-six states with Indigenous-inspired names.
The states are:
Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut,
Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts,
Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska,
New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee,
Texas, Utah, Wisconsin, and Wyoming
Inspired the US Constitution
On Sept 16, 1987, the US Senate passed a resolution that
stated the US Constitution was modeled after the Iroquois Confederacy.
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Games and Sports
Before 1492, Indigenous people enjoyed many games including
Lacrosse, which was invented by the Iroquois and Huron people. The
toboggan is an invention of the Eastern Algonquians, and the Kayak
was created by the Inuits.
Materials and Accessories
Moccasins, snow shoes, hammocks and cradleboards were created
by American Indians, as was cotton cloth. Indians also used rubber,
tar and fertilizer (fish).
New Foods and Ways of Cooking
Some of the American Indian native plants and foods included
pumpkins, zucchini squash, sweet potatoes, turkey, peanuts, maple
syrup, popcorn and hot chocolate.
Herbs and Medicine
The formulas and ingredients of various medicines were inspired
by American Indians. Some of these include aspirin, echinacea, ipecac,
quinine and some laxatives.
