• Indian Givers

  • How the Indians of the Americas Transformed the World
  • By: Jack Weatherford
  • Narrated by: Victor Bevine
  • Length: 10 hrs and 10 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (434 ratings)

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Indian Givers  By  cover art

Indian Givers

By: Jack Weatherford
Narrated by: Victor Bevine
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Publisher's summary

After 500 years, the world's huge debt to the wisdom of the Indians of the Americas has finally been explored in all its vivid drama by anthropologist Jack Weatherford. He traces the crucial contributions made by the Indians to our federal system of government, our democratic institutions, modern medicine, agriculture, architecture, and ecology, and in this astonishing, ground-breaking book takes a giant step toward recovering a true American history.

©1989 Jack Weatherford (P)2010 Audible, Inc.
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

Critic reviews

"By showing how the world was changed through these contributions, the author gives a greater appreciation of the Indians of America to readers. A fine synthesis book for global studies programs as well as American history." ( School Library Journal)

What listeners say about Indian Givers

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This One Can Be Avoided

I did not find Indian Givers: How the Indians of the Americas Transformed the World, by Jack Weatherford to be an enjoyable read; with the exception of two middle sections that took up the Indian Nation’s internal structure and forms of government (and in particular the Iroquois Federation of Tribes, system of government) and how that alliances’ precepts showed up in our Constitution framework. That was enjoyable reading. There was also much on the tragedies put upon the Indian Nations by the Conquistadors and English settlers but those sad tales have been told better in other places. (For example, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, by Dee Brown. The most difficult story to read – because of the horrors put upon our indigenous peoples.)

Mostly Indian Givers listed foods, medicines and technology we inherited from or could attribute some genesis to tribal peoples located in the Americas. Although potatoes are fund to learn about it was told in a much less interesting methodology than most Weatherford editions, i.e. Genghis Kahn, and Mongol Queens. In those well told tales one learned of some history and then Weatherford told how those past histories lead to further growth of the Mongol Nation or how one Queens’s legacy shaped the Mongol Nation’s ethics, etc. Those good reads were not to be found here.

Indiana Givers, about 80% of the book, was about lists of food or medicine stuff just put out there for their self-explanation. This book is worth skipping.

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Amazing

Very interesting and informative. I love this book. it really makes you think, and also pull at your heart strings. Me being Native American I would like to thank this author for writing this book. honestly most of the facts that you stated in this book I did not know. That is truly sad.

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Starts slowly, but rapidly picks up steam

I love these kinds of books. The first couple chapters were a bit worrying, in that it seemed to me to focus more on the European, African and Asian adaptations of the pre-American techniques, rather than the people and processes of the new world. But as it proceeded, it did shift focus and gave considerable credit where it was due.

The result is that it was much more balanced in the end, showing both the origins and the spread and adaptations abroad. Though for more specific details on some topics, particularly agriculture, Charles C. Mann's books 1491 and 1493 are great companion books.

My favorite part was the chapter on politics, detailing how current government ideals were derived far more from the Iroquois than from any old world source, contemporaneous or classical.

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reads like a boring textbook

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Very rarely have I downloaded a book that is as boring to listen to as this one.

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3rd Time Around

I read the hard copy over a decade ago and when I saw it on Audible, I scooped it up faster than MJ on a Showtime fast break. Great information that so many have never heard about, well read and intriguing, this book will infotain you like few non-fiction history/information books. Enjoy and thank me later.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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Flawed

What did you like best about Indian Givers? What did you like least?

Sadly this is not Weatherford's best work. The title itself is plain odd, given that his first chapter focuses on the silver mines of Potosi and Zacatecas. Just to be clear, the sliver was not a "gift" of the Indians, millions of Indians were forced into the mines at gun- and swordpoint and worked to death. That's slavery, not a gift.

However, the real flaw is that Weatherford simply tries to hard. He seems unable trace the historical connections and cross-currents without drawing extreme and absurd conclusions. New World food products were and are very important around the world, but his claim that without the potato, the two world wars wouldn't have happened is as unprovable as it is absurd. Likewise, his claim that Machu Picchu was an agricultural research station is utterly without foundation, and just highlights his desperation to seize on any claim to support his conclusions.

It's a pity, because the subject matter is interesting, and there are plenty of connections and influence of Indian/New World products and idea that a general reader may not know. The over-the-top claims, however, damage the whole work. For a more thoughtful treatment of the same topic, readers might try Charles Mann's 1493.

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    2 out of 5 stars

Graduate dissertation, collection of articles or ?

The most frustrating thing about this book was it's jumping from one topic to another and one group of Indians to another. The author would also make generalizations on the one hand and then pepper the listener with facts some of which were confusing and poorly connected to the topic.

There was no story line to speak of.

There was also no balance in the presentation. I am convinced that many groups made significant contributions to in a number of ways. However, there were also groups who were not contributors.

Overall I was disappointed in this book and would not recommend it.

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Not Quite what I had Expected

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No, while there were some points of interest, overall, it was rather boring.

What was most disappointing about Jack Weatherford’s story?

I had thought it would have more of an historic theme about the contributions of the American Indians and it wasn't

Which character – as performed by Victor Bevine – was your favorite?

No real characters represented.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

No

Any additional comments?

If it hadn't been a free book I would have returned it.

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A very interesting book!

Was Indian Givers worth the listening time?

In the end, yes it was because I learned a lot from it.

Any additional comments?

This is another book where the title caught my attention, as I am part Native American. I was a bit disappointed that the focus was primarily on the indigenous tribes of South America. Overall, it was a very interesting book.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Very interesting book

I listened to this book while getting ready for bed. I did sometimes fall asleep before the chapter finished and had to go back and find the part where I drifted off but it was very interesting and I enjoyed the fact that I could start fresh with each chapter and it did not matter if I had taken a day or two off or not. I feel I learned many things I had never realized.

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