10 Revolutionary Native American Inventions That Changed Modern Life

Celebrated every November, Native American Heritage Month is a time to honor the rich cultures, traditions, and contributions of Native American communities across the United States. 

The first official proclamation designating November as Native American Heritage Month was issued in 1990. In honor of the month, we’re diving into some everyday items you might not realize were invented by Native Americans and how you can honor Native traditions this month. 

Native American Inventions 

Long before Columbus reached the Americas when he landed in the Caribbean islands in 1492, Native Americans were creating inventions that have shaped modern life in significant ways. 

Here are 10 of those inventions: 

1. Pain relievers
   • Native American healers were known to use willow bark as an anti-inflammatory and pain reliever. It contains salicin, which generates salicylic acid when consumed, which is the active ingredient in modern-day aspirin. 
2. Oral birth control
   • Long before the development of birth control as we know it today, Shoshone and Navajo tribes used stoneseed as oral contraceptives. 
3. Syringes
   • Indigenous tribes created a tool using animal bladders and sharpened, hollowed-out bird bone to inject medicine and irrigate wounds. 
4. Baby bottles
   • Native Americans would use a dried and greased bear gut with a bird’s quill acting at the nipple.
5. Sunscreen
   • Native Americans would commonly mix ground plants with water as a way to protect skin from the sun. Mixtures would vary, but sunflower oil, wallflower, and sap from aloe were commonly used. 
6. Snow goggles
   • Native Americans who lived in modern-day Alaska are credited with creating snow goggles, often carving them from whale bones, driftwood, and walrus ivory.
7. Kayaks
   • Arctic Native Americans are also credited with creating kayaks. Similar to snow goggles, they would use driftwood and large animal bones to carve them so they were large enough to fit one person inside with a wrap of walrus or seal skin which allowed it to float. 
8. Lacrosse (Stickball)
   • Lacrosse is considered America’s oldest sport. It originated with Native Americans located in upstate New York and Canada. It was played with wooden sticks and deerskin balls filled with fur. Unlike what we know today, historians say the game could be played across miles with over 100 players and could last for days or even weeks. 
9. Hammocks
   • The Taino, people native to the Caribbean and a subgroup of the Arawak, are credited with introducing the concept of the hammock. The word itself is derived from the Arawak word “hamaka.”    
10. Suspension bridges
    • The Inca in South America is credited with creating suspension bridges by weaving together plants and grasses with llama and alpaca hair. 

Honoring Native American Traditions 

There are currently more than 570 federally recognized tribes in the United States, each with its own traditions and customs. One way to honor the diverse traditions of each tribe is to learn more about them!

Here are some online learning resources you can explore: 

• National Museum of the American Indian: Essential Understandings 
• American Association of School Libraries
• Legends of America: Native American Rituals and Ceremonies 
• Library of Congress: Native American Heritage Month
• First Nations Development Institute 

References:

1. Patrick J. Kiger. “10 Native American Inventions Commonly Used Today.” History.com, https://www.history.com/news/native-american-inventions. Accessed 24 Oct. 2024.
2. Kara Nelson. “5 ancient Native American inventions that are still used in our modern world.” CNN. com, https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/29/us/native-american-inventions-reaj/index.html. Accessed 24 Oct. 2024.