Indian Givers

December 1, 1988
The discovery and conquest of the New World changed the Old World forever, from economy and diet to the concept of personal freedom. Anthropologist Weatherford, author of Tribes on the Hill , examines the many contributions made by New World natives. Exploited in the mines of Peru and Mexico, Indian laborers produced the gold and silver that financed the rise of modern Europe. Weatherford points out that Indians were expert pharmacologists; they knew how to prevent goiter and scurvy, used ipecac and quinine. Their foods, especially the potato, revolutionalized European agriculture; they introduced chocolate, chili peppers and cocaine. Indian social organization was truly democratic, unlike the classic democracies in Europe, and Weatherford notes the connection with modern federal systems. He labors a bit on the topic of architecture but makes a convincing case for Indian Givers and the role they played in re-shaping the world.