Posoh John,
The next time you reach for an aspirin, thank Indigenous people who created the pain reliever from salicin that is found in the bark of the Willow tree. Aspirin is one of countless Native American Indian inventions that date back thousands of years and should be commemorated on Oct. 13, Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
Indigenous people are known for creating the canoe, corn, beans, potatoes, squash, maple syrup, tipis, and moccasins. They also developed wild rice harvesting techniques that are still practiced today.
Did you know that Indigenous people also invented baby bottles and baby formula? The Iroquois took dried and greased bear gut and added a nipple fashioned from a bird’s quill to create bottles.
Did you know that Indigenous tribes in South America, including the Iroquois and Seneca, fashioned syringes made of animal bladders and hollow bird bones to inject medications?
Did you know that Native Americans performed brain surgery 1000s of years ago? Their techniques resulted in high survival rates.
There are many Native inventions that may surprise people. Here is a list of just some of them:
- Bunk beds
- Snow goggles
- Kayak
- Parkas
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Tobacco
- Rubber
- Cable suspension bridges
- Anesthetics
- Topical pain relievers
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Oral contraceptives
- Mouthwash for pain
These inventions helped to shape our lives and are a testament to the intelligence of Native people who lived in this country long before the settlers arrived. Back then we were called savages. But how many savages performed successful brain surgeries? It’s time to respect Indigenous people every day for what they have contributed to what we have today – not solely on Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
To learn more about Native American history, visit the Milwaukee Public Museum’s Indigenous Peoples’ Day from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Oct. 13. For more information click here.
