Quote:
Originally Posted by longmissedblind
bolded is in error. Engagement throughout the process of what might otherwise be called genocide was almost exclusively at the behest of the "Americans." They did not stand up to anything from the "Indians."
The durability of culture is subject purely to knowledge of the world and the ability to adapt over time. The roughest, toughest cultures are still subject to decline.
The sophistication of the culture is what I believe excludes it from being labelled "primative" as suggested in the OP. And, also, the last time I checked there was still a pretty healthy Native American population in the U.S. So one might say the culture still thrives.
For full discloser the think Native American tribes have rich culture.
Genocide has been a common practice with stronger groups imposing there will on the weaker groups. It wouldn't take me long to show how typical the experience of the Native American's was to other weaker groups in history. Pol Pot (Cambodia, 1975-79) estimated 1,700,000, killed Adolf Hitler (Germany, 1939-1945) estimate 12,000,000 (concentration camps and civilians WWII) killed and Jozef Stalin (USSR, 1932-39) plus 23,000,000 killed in the purges plus Ukraine's famine. These are just a few recent examples.
If you somehow are implying that Native American's won the conflict this is simply not correct. European groups imposed there will on a vast population native Americans winning wars, forcing to native American's to re-loacte and even engaging in genocide as you posted.
There were many fine examples of native American warriors but that was the case in many other cultures that suffered defeat to a more powerful group as well.
As you suggest there is a healthy Native American population in the US but they were eventually assimilated by the stronger group. There are many examples of this throughout history where a weaker group was not completely destroyed but instead assimilated. They still lost, and survived not on strength, but this willingness of the stronger group allowing their survival.
Was their tragedy in the Native American experience? Yes. Was it different then the fate of many other weaker groups throughout history. Absolutely not.