After the coming of Europeans to the Americas, Indians were forced to change their way of life. Yet the influence of Native American culture is still felt throughout the United States. Many of the foods commonly eaten in the United States today were first grown by American Indians. Among these foods are corn, white and sweet potatoes, peanuts, pumpkins, tomatoes, and certain beans and berries. Native Americans also discovered ways to use herbs and other plants as medicines. Native American inventions, such as canoes, ponchos and parkas ,hammocks and snowshoes are still in use today. Other marks of Indian culture were left in American place names. The state of Alaska, for example, takes its name from a Native American word meaning "great land". Today nearly 1.5 million Native Americans live in the United States. Some still preserve the ways of their ancestors, speaking Indian languages and keeping alive their legends, art forms, and customs. Other Native Americans keep few of the old ways, but remain proud of their people's contributions to American history. Americans have come to appreciate the beauty of Indian crafts . Many artists find  _ in traditional Indian designs. Many Indian values, too, have become widely held. Americans today believe that the land, air and water are precious resources that must be carefully protected. As one government official wrote recently: We have slowly come back to some of the truths that the Indians knew from the beginning. People need to learn from nature, to keep an ear to the earth, and to refill their spirits in frequent contacts with animals and wild land. What does "Native Americans" refer to in the passage?
Europeans settling in the Americas. People born and living in America. American Indians. Americans.