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mycatchynamegoeshere t1_ja050sa wrote

Not sure if this fits here, but I have always wondered why North America doesn’t seem to have any remaining indigenous groups that live in traditional ways. How is it that other continents do, and some even have completely uncontacted tribes?

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AngryBlitzcrankMain t1_ja0odgy wrote

Because indigenous people of North America were not only conquered and colonized but ethnically cleansed and genocided.

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mycatchynamegoeshere t1_ja4ur9u wrote

Yes, I know what happened in North America. I guess my wording wasn’t quite right. What happened on other continents to prevent such an extreme change. Other countries have uncontacted tribes and tribes living very closely to the way they did before colonizers came along. How did they avoid the genocides?

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AngryBlitzcrankMain t1_ja500u7 wrote

Did they avoid them? Are there many indigenous people of Indian ocean islands? Or South America? Or are there a few isolated groups living in areas that are hard to reach and thus were spared the ethnic cleansing groups that lived in other areas faced. USA was colonized fully and the natives were slowly moved from east to the west as colonization continued while their way of life was slowly but steadily destroyed.

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GSilky t1_ja4383v wrote

First of all, their are many Native Americans living traditional lives, they just use updated equipment. However, research the history of boarding schools for native children, the founder of the system is on record as wanting to "kill the Indian and save the man". The various native cultural expressions, like ceremonial dances and such, were outlawed and being a member of a historical society that helped to keep traditions alive were also outlawed.

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mycatchynamegoeshere t1_ja4uanz wrote

Yes, I am aware, and perhaps my wording was wrong. I have just noticed that on other continents there are folks living far more closely to the way they lived before colonizers came along. I understand what happened in North America, just curious as to why it didn’t happen quite as extremely in, say, South America.

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GSilky t1_ja50jxp wrote

Gotcha, fair question. It's access. Geography helped keep cultural influences out of the Amazon, Andes, etc. At the same time, look into how much Spanish ways integrated themselves into Latin American native cultures.

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