(June 17, 2014 at 4:34 pm)ShaMan Wrote:(June 17, 2014 at 4:28 pm)Chuck Wrote: Ah, no. They may have founded something, but not this country.What was founded by original people was peace. Peace with the land, and peace with mankind. Yes, there were tribal and territorial skirmishes, but for the most part, they lived, and let live.
Ah, no.
1. Native Americans, particularly those of North America, didn't live in peace with the land. They practiced slash and burn land management on a scale larger than any other society we have direct evidence for. Their impact on global climate likely vastly exceed those of any other neolithic culture of which we have evidence, both in total, and by capita. They basically made America's midwest a grassy plain that it is by burning all the pre-existing forests, and then burn off the grass every year thereafter. The carbon they put into the atmosphere is thought to be a major contributor to climate change between 1st and 10th century AD.
2. There is no real evidence they lived and let live any more than other late neolithic cultures, at least not compare to pre-industrial societies. Even most peaceful neolithic tribes ever observed by anthropologists show vastly higher average rate of death from warfare than any modern or near modern societies. This includes WWII and any of the nations that took part in it, including nations like Poland that lost 22% of it population. What is your evidence to show native Americans on average experienced less casaulties than other late neolithic or copper cultures in the world?
