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LouQuacious t1_iz17ceo wrote

Reply to comment by Aoeletta in How did Native American tribes indigenous to Yellowstone National Park (e.g., Shoshone, Blackfeet, Crow, etc.) perceive the land (e.g., thoughts on geothermal activity) and what was their relationship like with white/European trappers and explorers entering the region in the early 1800s? by electricdresses

One thing I recall reading is that most natives died without ever encountering a European. By the time colonization was really going something like 90-95% of indigeneous people had already perished due to diseases being passed through trade networks. French fur trappers reported finding loads of abandoned 'ghost' villages or a very few ragged survivors. If native people had immunity to diseases it's possible colonization would never have occurred, at least not to the extent it did.

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