You probably studied Native American culture in school, but chances are your teacher only covered a fraction of Indigenous history. Native American tradition and accomplishments are vast and steeped in incredible feats.
From women warriors to your favorite movie snack, Native American tribes have contributed more to society than you probably realize. Without them, we might not even have the U.S. Constitution.
While many have a monolithic view of Native Americans, they are hardly a single-minded group. Tribes vary in language, tradition, and culture. As these 19 facts reveal, there’s a lot more to Native Americans than what Virginians—and people across the U.S.—learned in school.
1: There Were Over 300 Languages
According to WorldAtlas, there were somewhere between 300 and 500 native languages spoken across the North American continent before colonization. Sadly, government-forced assimilation practices meant that many of these languages disappeared over time…