THE AMAUTA LECTURE SERIES 2002:

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"WHO WELCOMED COLUMBUS?": General Information about North, Central, and South American Indians. This presentation was given to more than 4,000 students, faculty members, community members, educators, service organizations and others in Utah, Arizona, Colorado, South Dakota, and Argentina (Author: Antonio Arce).
Resources: The Tainos - Latin American Studies: The Tainos -Tribes in the Americas - North, Central, and South American Tribes
Maps: American Indian Cultures in Latin America - North American Indian Cultures

NEW!!! THESIS: "The Relationship Between Columbus and the Tainos between 1492 t0-1524 in Early Documents of the Time" Three Dimensional Models of Hispaniola with Pictures of areas where the main events occurred (Author: Antonio Arce)
Resources: Columbus Journal - Description of Hispaniola - Spanish Requirement - Latin American Studies: The Tainos - Bartolome de Las Casas - Caribbean Links
Maps: Hispaniola/Bohio Map - Caribbean Island Map
Thesis Report: "The Relationship Between The Tainos and Columbus in Early Document s of the Time" by Antonio Arce

AMAUTA ON NATIVE AMERICAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT: An historical account on how Native Americans contributed to the Environmental Movement. (Author: Antonio Arce)
Resouces: Native Americans and Their Environment - The Colorado Plateu and the Southwest - National Environmental Coalition

AMAUTA ON THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED SATES: Contributions of Native Americans to the government system. (Resolution 76 and 168).
Resources: The Oldest Participatory Democracy on Earth. Book: Forgotten Founders by Bruce E. Johansen, 1988. Book: Exemplar of Liberty by Grinde, Jr. and Johansen, 1990

NATIVE AMERICAN INDIANS INDIAN HEROES: General information on the cultures of different countries in the Americas and how they see their past in their history (Author: Antonio Arce)
Resources: Native American Heroes

AMAUTA TRIBAL GOVERNMENT: General Information about Tribal Government in the Americas, An Historical account. (Author: Antonio Arce)
Resources: Aboriginal Law and Legislation, Center for World Indigenous Studies, University of Oklahoma Law Center, Tribal Government Websites

AMAUTA INDIAN TREATIES, LAWS, AND JUDICIAL CASES: An Historical Account of the Treaties of the United States and Indian Nations, Federal Laws, and Judicial Cases that challenge Tribal Sovereignty (Author: Antonio Arce)
Resources: Tribal Government in North America, Central America and South America

AMAUTA THE "ENCOUNTER" IN PRIMARY SOURCES AND ORAL HISTORY: General information based in primary sources of the encounter of Columbus and The Tainos, Cortez and The Aztecs, and Pizarro and The Incas, and American Indians in North America and the colonizers.
Resources on Columbus and The Tainos: The Relationship Between Columbus and the Tainos - Columbus Journal - Bartolome de Las Casas - Letter of Lopez de Aguirre - Letter of King Ferdinand - Spanish Requirement - Laws of the Indies - Textos Selectos de Bartolome de Las Casas (Spanish)
Resources on Cortez and The Aztecs: Conquest of the New Spain" by Bernal Diaz del Castillo - Other Primary Sources by Dr. Nancy Fitch - Letters of Cortez to King in Spain (Spanish) - Bernardino de Sahagun
Resources on Pizarro and The Incas: "Comentarios Reales" by Inca Garzilaso de la Vega (Spanish) - The Conquest of Peru in Primary Sources (Spanish) - Narrative of the Incas by Juan de Betanzos
Resources: Historiadores de Las Indias by Dr. Miguel Perez Rosado (Copies of Original Books Covers as they were published at that time (Spanish)

LATIN AMERICAN INDIANS: General Information about Native Americans Tribes in Mexico, Central America and South America (Author: Antonio Arce)
Resources: Tribes

NORTH AMERICAN INDIAN TRIBES: general Information on Native American of North America (Canada and USA) (Author: Antonio Arce)
Resources: North American Tribes

NATIVE AMERICAN POPULATION: Information about the population of North, Central South American Indians. (Author: Antonio Arce)
Resources: Native American Population in North Central and South America

NATIVE AMERICAN INDIAN EDUCATION: General information about Indian Education. (Author: Antonio Arce)
Resources: Educational Resources

AMAUTA HIGH ON THE ANDES: General information about South American Indians. (Author: Antonio Arce)
Resources: South American Indians

GENETIC IN LATIN AMERICA: (In construction)

 

OTHER AMAUTA PRESENTATIONS BY ANTONIO ARCE

AMAUTA MAIN: "GENERAL INFORMATION"

Amauta Main is a general description of the lectures. It contains information about the "Amauta" series at Utah State University.

AMAUTA I: "ANCESTORS"

"Ancestors" describes the most important Native American Cultures in the Americas "before Columbus". It is an introduction to Native America, a tribute to native people.

AMAUTA II: "THE AZTECS"

"The Aztecs" describes the Aztec Empire and its achievements by the time Columbus reached the Caribbean Islands. The Aztecs are the ancestors of most Mexican people.

AMAUTA III: "THE INCAS"

"The Incas" describes the Inca Empire and its achievements by the time Columbus reached the Caribbean Islands. The Incas are the ancestors of most of South American people.

AMAUTA IV: "THE TAINOS AND COLUMBUS"

"The Tainos and Columbus" describes the encounter between the Spaniards and the Tainos people. It describes the misunderstanding of the two cultures, European and Native. It presents a "Columbus' view from the shores" of the Caribbean Island.  It is a tribute to the Tainos People, the people who welcomed Columbus.

AMAUTA V: "THE INCAS AND PIZARRO"

"The Incas and Pizarro" describes the encounter between the Spaniards and the Incan people of South America. It describes the assimilation of the Quechuan people and other natives to the Hispanic society.  It accounts the natives struggles for freedom and their fall.

AMAUTA VI: "THE AZTECS AND CORTEZ"

"The Aztecs and Cortez" describes the encounter between the Spaniards and the Aztec people of Mexico. It describes the assimilation of the Aztec people and other natives to the Hispanic society. It accounts the native struggles for freedom and their fall.

AMAUTA VII: "INDIGENOUS STRUGGLES, THE LAST 500 YEARS"

"Indigenous struggles, the last 500 years" is a lecture about the different approaches of different Native Americans to history and the struggles of Native people for keeping their land possessions and culture.

AMAUTA VIII: "CONTRIBUTION OF NATIVE KNOWLEDGE TO CIVILIZATION"

"Contribution of Native Knowledge to Civilization" describes many of the contributions of Native America to today's world. It a recognition to native gifts to civilization.

AMAUTA IX: "I AM AN INDIAN..."

"I am an Indian..." is an open forum where Native people will share how they see and identify themselves.  It is a tribute to Native people in today's world.

AMAUTA X: "NATIVE AMERICAN INDIAN HEROES"

"Native American Indian Heroes" describes many Indian heroes and their struggle for freedom. The presentation will introduce Indian heroes both man and women from each country of North, Central and South America. It enlighten a different perspective of heroism, the heroism of Native people.

AMAUTA XI: "HISTORY AND FACTS"

"History and Facts" introduces the main problems with history regarding to the Americas. The presentation describes the problems with "popular" historical accounts and the presents concepts and tools for understanding and interpreting history from a native approach.

AMAUTA XII: "THE PEOPLE BEFORE US, OUR COMMON HISTORY"

"The people before us, our common history" is an open forum for discussions about different approaches and perspectives related to Native American history.

Most of the lectures are 120 minutes in duration. Usually, the lectures are given in two sets of 60 minutes each one.  The longest lectures are "Ancestors," "The Tainos and Columbus," "Contributions of Native American to Civilization," and "Native American Heroes."

Some of the presentation included a video recording that goes along with the main presentation.  The videos used in the lectures form part of an unique collection of 200 videos on Native Americans.  There are also hundreds of pictures and other cultural items that are used to complement  to the presentations.

The presentations are provided at different levels of understanding, there are some modifications for children of different ages, such as elementary students, middle schools students, and high school students.  There are also modifications for professionals in education.  At the end of each presentation, there is a list of bibliography sources regarding the topics of the lecture. The presentations can also be given in English or Spanish.

THE INFLUENCE OF INDIAN CULTURE IN THE CULTURES OF THE WORLD:

Native Americans had a great influence in the cultures of the world. While Native life and culture were greatly affected by European "conquest" and settlements, at the same time many elements of the Indian's own culture have been incorporated into the way of life of their "conquerors." Later, the knowledge and benefits acquired from Natives was transfer to the way of life and culture of the world.

Assistance to Early Settlers:
In the beginning, the Native Americans made possible the first precarious existence of the first settlers in the "New World."  The Natives supplied to the new neighbors with food, teaching them how to plant, fish, and hunt with Indian's methods, guiding them through the wilderness over Indian trails and in Indian-style boats, and introducing them to Indian implements, utensils, tools, clothing, and ways of life that made their existence easier and more secure.

Trade and Wealth:
By friendly trade Indians supplied the settlers with furs and other goods that helped revolutionize styles and materials in the Old World; and Indian art forms, crafts, and cultural objects heavily influenced certain aspects of European artistic and intellectual life.  The plunder of native American gold and other treasures helped to finance the courts armies, and navies of European rulers and nations.  At the same time, the wealth of Natives people made possible a strong banking system and later the Industrial Revolution.

Native American Foods:
Probably the most important contribution of Native Americans to the rest of the world were corn and potatoes. These crops are major portion of the world food supply. Corn and Potatoes were first domesticated by American Indians.  Cassava, or Manioc from the tropical regions of the Americas and the sweet potatoes were also Indian crops.  Native Americans introduced other domesticated plants, including peanut, habas, quinoa, amaranth, squash, pumpkins, melons, peppers, paprika, wild rice, sassafras, turnips, cucumbers, beets, chiles mangos, papayas, pineapples, pomegranate, chayote, avocados, cranberries, blackberries, raspberries, cherries, strawberry, several varieties of grapes, chestnuts, edible mushrooms, vanilla, tapioca, tomatoes, pumpkin, sunflower, many kinds of beans and sugar maple.

Other Native American Products:
Cacao (chocolate), chicle (gum), and tobacco were also raised by Native Americans.  Many varieties of cotton with higher quality than the cotton of the old world were already produced by Native Americans.  Native Americans also extracted drugs from many plants, they were used by Native people and later, because of their medicinal value, these plant were accepted in modern pharmacology.  These drugs include cocaine, a pain reliever obtained from coca leaves; curare, a muscle relaxant from the bark of a South American tree; cascara, a cathartic from the shrub cascara sagrada; atropine, a heart stimulant from the weed datura and quinine, from the bark of the cinchona.

Other Contributions of Native Americans: 
Many Native American devices were adopted by the new settlers, including hammock, canoes, kayaks, dog sleds, toboggans, snowshoes, moccasins, pipes, and ponchos.  Native Americans designs affected many manufactured goods, such the rubber tires, rain coat, and rubber balls.  Some Native Americans games such lacrosse were also adopted for the new neighbors.

Native American Names and Words:
Half of the names of the States in United States have Indian names. There are also thousands of names for cities, lakes, mountains, rivers, and other geographical sites.  European languages contain many words that derive from Indian languages. Among the hundreds of Native words incorporated to the English language are tobacco, barbeque, wigwam, succotash, tobogan, papoose, opossum, skunk, hickory, squash, moccasin, chipmunk, moose, macknaw and tomahawk.

Not doubt that the world of today wont' be possible without the great contributions that Native Americans did to civilization.  "Amauta Series" is a tribute to my people, the Native Americans of all this unique continent.

All the pictures in the presentations are exclusively used with educational purposes and any reproduction is prohibited.

The "Amauta" Series Director. Antonio Arce