1491: The Untold Story of the Americas before Columbus

Indigenous creation stories are explored, as well as key discoveries by archaeologists, anthropologists, geneticists and linguists on how and when Indigenous people first arrived in the Western Hemisphere.

For thousands of years Indigenous people have caused significant changes to the natural environment through resource harvesting, farming, urban development, irrigation, controlled burning and deforestation.

The Neolithic era began more than 10,000 years ago in Mesoamerica with the cultivation of maize. Crops like sweet potatoes, beans and cacao were cultivated and spread throughout the Americas through trade networks.

Whether living a nomadic existence or in sprawling urban centres, Indigenous people created iconic, innovative and diverse architectural styles. Their homes and community structures fulfilled the needs and values of their society.

Each Indigenous nation developed its own unique governance models to control their citizens and expand their territories. These systems ranged from patriarchal and matrilineal-based societies to complex political systems governing multi-nation empires. Complex trade networks developed to satisfy political, social and economic goals.

The ingenuity, skill and talent of Indigenous people is found in the earliest use of the number “0”, the mapping of planets and stars, the development of multi-year calendars and the invention of writing systems.

The artistic expressions of Indigenous societies have survived to this day through the preservation of ancient cultural artifacts and in works created by contemporary artists working in traditional styles.

The Indigenous perspectives on cultural material repatriation, language preservation, traditional knowledge and archaeology is explored.