WORLD CROPS DERIVED FROM 

 THE INDIANS 



By Edwin F. Walker 



T t is necessary to use the term "Indians" for ail the pre-Co- 

 lumbian natives of the Western Hemisphere because Colum- 

 bus permanently fastened that name on the American ab- 

 origines when he believed he had reached India. The generally 

 accepted theory is that the Indians are a brown (mongoloid) 

 people whose ancestors in many migrations over a period of 

 thousands of years came from different parts of Asia, crossing 

 at or near Bering Strait. These migrants reached the Amer- 

 ican continent apparently without bringing with them any 

 knowledge of agriculture — possibly because it was before the 

 time that agriculture was practiced anywhere. On this hemi- 

 sphere there were no wild growths similar to those which the 

 early farmers of the Old World ultimately developed into 

 food products that have played such an important part in the 

 history of mankind — rice, wheat, barley, rye, and oats. 



The early Indians, the real discoverers of America, were 

 hunters, fishermen, root-diggers, and seed-gatherers. But on 

 this hemisphere, as occurred in other parts of the world, they 

 independently made the discovery that edible seeds and roots 

 could be planted and would reproduce more of the same kind. 

 When hunters made this discovery and planted a crop, it 

 followed that the crop must be watched until ready for the 

 harvest, and this necessitated a settled habitation for the dura- 

 tion. When agriculture finally was developed so extensively 

 as to meet the food quest, a permanent settlement was possible 

 and progress toward civilization could develop. Civilization 

 is difficult to define, but the ancient civilizations are usually 

 considered as determined by such features as agriculture, archi- 

 tecture, engineering, mathematics, astronomy, ceremonial re- 

 ligion, impressive temples, organized government, definite 

 laws, metal-working, arts, history, and an expressive language, 

 sometimes written. Such were the outstanding cultures of 

 the pre-Columbian Indians of Mexico, Central America, Ecua- 

 dor, Peru, Bolivia, and Chile, built on an agriculture that was 

 entirely native to this hemisphere, but which has since been 

 taken over by the world. 



When the cultures of Mexico, Central America, and Peru 

 were discovered by the Spaniards, the invaders had a highly 

 developed mode of warfare superior to that of the Indians, 

 but the latter had developed an agriculture far above that of 

 any European country. 



