When many people hear the word history, they think of explorers like Christopher Columbus. But Native Americans lived in the Americas thousands of years before Columbus arrived in 1492. Their stories are often left out or only mentioned briefly. To understand history fairly, we need to look at the cultures that existed long before European contact.

What Is Culture?

Culture is more than food, clothing, or language. It is the set of beliefs, traditions, values, and practices that give people meaning and guide their lives. Culture shapes how people see the world, how they treat each other, and how they connect to the land.

Imagine your own life without the traditions you celebrate with family, the music you listen to, or even the way you speak. Those things are part of your culture. In the same way, Native American cultures gave people a sense of identity, belonging, and wisdom.

Native Life Before Columbus

Native Americans were not one single group. Instead, they were hundreds of different nations with diverse languages, religions, and ways of living. Some groups lived in large cities like Cahokia near the Mississippi River, which had massive earthen pyramids and thousands of residents. Others built homes of wood and bark in the forests of the Northeast. In the Southwest, people developed irrigation systems to farm in the desert, while groups on the Pacific Coast fished and built plank houses from cedar trees.

They created governments, art, music, and spiritual traditions. Many Native nations believed the land was sacred, not something to own or exploit, but something to care for and pass on to future generations.

Why Compassion Matters

When Europeans arrived, they often failed to see these cultures as equal to their own. They described Native peoples as “uncivilized,” even though Native societies had rich traditions, advanced knowledge of farming, and complex communities. This lack of understanding led to violence, disease, and the destruction of many ways of life.

Thinking about this history challenges us to show compassion. Compassion means trying to understand what life was like for others and caring about their struggles. If we imagine losing our own language, family traditions, or land, we can begin to feel what Native peoples endured.

Thinking Deeply

History is not just about dates and events—it is about people. Every culture is valuable, and every culture holds wisdom. By studying Native Americans before Columbus, we remind ourselves that the Americas were not “empty” lands waiting to be discovered. They were already full of vibrant cultures and people with deep connections to their world.

When we respect these cultures, we learn to value diversity in our own time. We can ask ourselves: