Brithenig/Aelyan North America (was: Re: Languages in the Brithenig universe)

Aidan wrote:

>    With this, I see the NAL as something a bit more like the European
>Union, with
>independent countries that work together. The Homelands (of the Native
>American
>People) include most of the land west of the Mississippi, with Brithenig
>and English
>holding sway east of it. Large chunk of Texas, California, Aizona, and New
>Mexico
>*here* are Spanish Territories *there*, with a very equitable relationship
>with the
>Native peoples of those areas. Navajo and Hopi have their own "States"
>within the
>Homelands, for example.
[snip]
>    Well, missionary influence in North Am would have to be fairly limited
>(one of the
>only ways that the Aelyans could remain pagan AND the Native populous
>maintain some
>cultural integrity).Or extremely rejected! Maybe that's how it could be
>limited -
>people got upset about it and started some minor skirmishes whihc
>eventually led to
>withdrawal of the missionary influence?
Speaking as an interested outside observer, I think this whole issue of how the
colonisation of the Americas could have remained limited should be given
serious
thought.  What was it, specifically, which gave the indigenous peoples a
fighting
chance against encroaching Europeans in *that* universe, whereas they had
almost no chance in *this* universe?  I find it extremely implausible that the
European colonists were simply more well-meaning and respectful of native
peoples *there* than they were *here*.

One major difference between the Europe of *there* and the Europe of *here*,
from what I've been able to gather by lurking on this thread, is that there
were more (and smaller) nation-states there.  So perhaps colonisation happened
on a smaller scale, and in a more chaotic fashion, *there* than *here*?

But even if that were the case, that doesn't explain everything.  How, for
example, did the Europeans prevent the introduction of new diseases from
exterminating large numbers of indigenous people?  Or, if there was indeed
such extermination *there*, how did the indigenous peoples recover from
it sufficiently to establish autonomous states?

Matt.