New World Ideas: Indigenous Innovations that Changed Everything
Documentary looks at Indigenous innovation, from canoes to corn
New World Ideas: Indigenous Innovations that Changed Everything
Sept. 3
7 p.m. on CBC TV in Manitoba
Exploring how Indigenous ingenuity changed the world, from the invention of the birch bark canoe to the domestication of corn.
The documentary looks first at a Canadian symbol of design brilliance, an Indigenous gift shared with the European newcomers — the birch bark canoe.
We spend a day with a native elder canoe builder, the curator of Canada's Canoe Museum, an Aboriginal archaeologist, and a young engineer who takes us into a high-tech lab to reveal ancient secrets. Together, they demonstrate that the canoe is a powerful cultural artifact combining the best of science and art, which helped to develop Canada.
Next, we celebrate what those canoes were carrying on their continent-wide trade networks: food. Corn, the world's largest cereal crop, was first developed from a native grass more than 10,000 years ago. Native farmers employed a method of companion planting known as "the three sisters." Through careful artificial selection and ingenious engineering, this technique provided maize, beans, and squash throughout North and Central America.
Produced by Birch Bark Productions.