Indian Givers: How the Indians of the Americas Transformed the World

After 500 years, the world's huge debt to the wisdon of the Indians of the Americas has finally been explored. Weatherford tells the utterly compelling story of how the cultural, social and political practices of the Indians have transformed the way life is lived thoughout the world.

In vividly dramatic chapters, he traces the crucial contributions made by the Indians to our federal system of government, our democratic institutions modern medicine, agriculture, architecture, and ecology. The Indians set a sophisticated urban trading economy in motion when they unearthed undreamed of quantities of gold and silver. And foods discovered by the Indians, such as potatoes, chocolate and chiliies revolutionized the cuisines of Europe and Asia - in fact some 60 percent of the foods eaten in the world today were first harvested by the Indians of the Americas.