Aboriginal Peoples Television Network · Ended

1491: The Untold Story of the Americas before Columbus

History · 2017

Last aired: S1 E8, Continuance · 2017-12-27

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. 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.

Cast

Evan Adams Narrator

Season 1

E1 Origins 2017-11-08 · 60 min Indigenous creation stories are explored, as well as key discoveries by archaeologists, anthropologists, geneticists and linguists on how and when Indigenous people first arrived in the Western Hemisphere.

E2 Environment 2017-11-15 · 60 min For thousands of years Indigenous people have caused significant changes to the natural environment through resource harvesting, farming, urban development, irrigation, controlled burning and deforestation.

E3 Agriculture 2017-11-22 · 60 min The Neolithic era began more than 10,000 years ago in Mesoamerica with the cultivation of maize. Crops like sweet potatoes, beans and cacao were cultivated and spread throughout the Americas through trade networks.

E4 Architecture 2017-11-29 · 60 min 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.

E5 Governance and Trade 2017-12-06 · 60 min 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 developed to satisfy political, social and economic goals.

E6 Science and Technology 2017-12-13 · 60 min The ingenuity, skill and talent of Indigenous people is found in the earliest use of the number "0", the mapping of planets and stars, the development of multi-year calendars and the invention of writing systems.

E7 Art 2017-12-20 · 60 min The artistic expressions of Indigenous societies have survived to this day through the preservation of ancient cultural artifacts and in works created by contemporary artists working in traditional styles.

E8 Continuance 2017-12-27 · 60 min The Indigenous perspectives on cultural material repatriation, language preservation, traditional knowledge and archaeology is explored.

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