re: #80 lostlakehiker

The Ainu of Japan. The various hill tribal peoples of China. The various peoples all through history who have been wiped out either utterly, or to so tiny a remnant as to be invisible.

Native Americans, by contrast, have a considerable presence with recognized territories and distinct demographics, together with a meaningful fraction of the genome of America-at-large. The majority of us have some Indian ancestry.

An estimated loss of 80% in 200 years, forced isolation, and planned poverty meant new world aboriginals have had nothing but a good time since 1492.

Nothing you said justifies the ‘unique’ position they hold in our culture.