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Bruce
In life there are losers and finders. Which one are you? -
That is a really sad part of our history, it is no wonder it is covered up.South East Ga. Twin City -
The same situation unfolded in New England, and concern for things like this is the reason India(the subcontinent nation, not American Indians) forbids contact with the isolated tribe on North Sentinel Island, in the news lately with the death of the American missionary). I would not say that it's covered up, at least here, where it is sometimes known as the Great Dying of 1616-1619, just preceding the arrival of the Mayflower. When the Puritans landed in what would be Boston, they found the villages of the Massachusetts deserted. The tribe had been wiped out. The Narragansett escaped plague by sheltering on islands in Narragansett Bay, thus emerging as the largest surviving tribe, and the most powerful post-plague.
Rhode IslandComment
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Hard to imagine that type of death on an otherwise pristine setting.
1625
Early Smallpox in North America -
French Jesuits who encountered Native Americans in Canada were confused by the hostility they received from the Indians, who, they said, “observed with some sort of reason that since our arrival in these lands those who had been the nearest to us had happened to be the most ruined by [smallpox], and that whole villages of those who had received us now appeared utterly exterminated” (Ian Glynn and Jenifer Glynn, The Life and Death of Smallpox).
history of the cure:
An early defense for smallpox known as a 'variolation' wasn't without risks: 2-3% of the people died.
If the women don\'t find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.Comment
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We've been aware for a very long time about the catastrophic effects of European diseases on the aboriginal people of the Americas. Thanks for bringing Vancouver's discoveries of his in the Straits of Georgia to our attention. I was not aware of the situation that occurred there. I knew about the epidemics that occurred in New England that some believe may have been carried there by fishermen from Portugal and Spain (and maybe England, too) who had for several years been fishing for cod in the area of the Grand Banks prior to permanent colonization. Although aware of the New England epidemics I enjoyed again reading about it in the link you provided. The supplanting of less advanced societies by others more advanced has occurred throughout history and the accidental importing of disease naturally resulted during the days when no one knew what caused bacterial or viral diseases. It was not purposeful. But it certainly is fair to say that populations weakened or wiped out by disease certainly should make the job easier. It is a fairly well written article except that the author of the piece makes some suppositions that are somewhat fanciful and the result of an active imagination.Last edited by sailorjoe; 12-10-2018, 12:33 PM.Comment
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The real tragedy with the epidemic that occurred on the west coast is that it was transferred all across north America from tribe to tribe simply by contact with infested individuals from neighboring villages and there were no Europeans anywhere nearby.Bruce
In life there are losers and finders. Which one are you?Comment
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Hi Bruce. Yes, the worst imaginable "game of dominoes". In this case it appears that the demand for European goods with a concurrent demand for North American furs by the Europeans set up this particular game of dominoes. European demand for fur and hides started pretty early and went on for a long time but epidemics had been happening long before this particular ball got rolling
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Millions upon millions were killed by the diseases brought to the Americas, often intentionally. We stole these lands.
By 1650 the native population was less than six million.
In North America pre Columbus middle range population estimate, 7 - 10 million, by 1800 - 600,000, by 1890 - 228,000
Searching the fields of NW Indiana and SW MichiganComment
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Hi Greg. What do you mean intentionally? Surely you don't mean that the British or Colonial governments had a policy of purposefully infecting Native Americans with disease. Please show us a credible literature citation to support that claim. As far as stolen lands in the Americas, it is a popular saying among those of us who have guilt feelings for the "sins of our ancestors". Some was stolen by conquest and some was acquired by treaty between people purporting to represent the people on either side and with varying degrees of acceptance by folks on both sides. The way it turned out for me is OK I think. Just like I think I'm OK with the North winning the Civil War. I believe it worked out the best for me in the long run. Almost all of my ancestors came to America before the Revolution. If England hadn't gotten a toehold in Virginia in the Chesapeake Bay area then I would never have been born. -
From the exclusive perspective of "me" you are absolutely right. I hope you are being facetious.
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