1491: The Untold Story of the Americas Before Columbus

S01E04: Architecture

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.

Overview

1491: The Untold Story of the Americas before Columbus is based on the book “1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus” by Charles C. Mann (Knopf, 2005). It brings to life the complexity, diversity and interconnectedness of Indigenous peoples in the Americas before the arrival of Columbus. Presented from an Indigenous-perspective the series is a journey along a timeline that dates from 20,000 years ago to 1491. The origins and history of ancient Indigenous societies in North, Central and South America are interpreted by leading Indigenous scholars and cultural leaders in the fields of archaeology, art history, ethnology, genetics, geology, and linguistics.

Episodes

S01E01 Origins

November 8, 2017
We are introduced to indigenous creation stories; discoveries by archaeologists, geneticists, linguists and anthropologists about the arrival of various indigenous people that are believed to arrive via the land bridge from what is now Russia...

S01E02 Environment

November 15, 2017
Indigenous people created significant changes to their environment through resource harvesting, farming, urban development, irrigation, controlled burning and deforestation.

S01E03 Agriculture

November 22, 2017
Maize from MesoAmerica, Potatoes from the Andes, biodiversity of the Amazon, Camus from the Plains, seal hunting of the Arctic, whale hunting of the NWCoast, Bison jumps and Fishing weirs.

S01E04 Architecture

November 29, 2017
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.

S01E05 Governance and Trade

December 4, 2017
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...

S01E06 Science and Technology

December 11, 2017
Early indigenous people in North America were using the number 0 before any other people, had mapped the planets and stars and had their own calendars and writing methods. We also see how the herbs...

S01E07 Art

December 14, 2017
We learn about art in various native communities before 1492. We see their hand paintings and paintings of animals. We see the baskets that were woven and the pottery designs. We are shown the masks...

S01E08 Continuance

December 18, 2017
We are informed about the indigenous perspective on cultural traditions and the concern about native languages becoming extinct.

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