Genocide of More Than 500 Native American Tribes

Genocide is the partial or total destruction of a human group,[a] committed intentionally. The popular view conceives of genocide as the large-scale killing of individuals, but in scholarly and legal fields, genocide occurs when the group itself is targeted. Acts of genocide include killing as well as non-lethal acts such as preventing reproduction among the group, the forcible transfer of children to another group, and cultural genocide.

Words ending in cide are generally understood to mean killing it. Homicide, suicide, herbicide.

From search:

The word “genocide” was coined in 1944 by Polish‑Jewish lawyer Raphael Lemkin, combining the Greek genos (“race, tribe”) and the Latin ‑cide (“killing”), first appearing in his book Axis Rule in Occupied Europe.

Detailed Explanation

Coining of the Term

Raphael Lemkin introduced the term in 1944 to describe the systematic extermination of groups, particularly in reference to Nazi crimes during World War II. 

He created the word by combining genos (Greek for “race” or “tribe”) and ‑cide (Latin for “killing”).

So a Jewish lawyer lobbied for creating the concept of intentional destruction of a group identity to try to protect the Jewish people from what was happening in World War II and succeeded and the Jewish people are happy to let popular misconception of the term make it sound like the Jewish people are the biggest victims ever in the history of the world and their genocide was so terrible it merits a special term -- The Holocaust -- that sounds like the worst thing EVER.

Meanwhile, several hundred tribal groups in the Americas were nearly entirely exterminated and in some cases were ENTIRELY exterminated and have no surviving DNA and probably a LOT of Native American DNA survives predominantly in mixed race individuals of mostly European descent who self identify on the American census as White. But they must be whiney cry babies?

We have a special term for people who don't like Jews -- antisemitic -- and people can be cancelled -- such as John Galliano and his planned Met exhibition -- for being labeled antisemitic. But the nearly ACTUALLY exterminated Native Americans: No big? No one really cares? We stole the idea of American democracy from them and no doubt botched its execution and that plus their land, foods and culture is all we wanted. We have no more use for them.

AI summary of Genocide of Native Americans:

The genocide of Native Americans refers to the massive population decline—up to a 96 percent drop between 1492 and the early 1900s—and widespread destruction of Indigenous peoples through warfare, forced removals, disease, enslavement, and cultural eradication carried out by European empires and later the United States.

Overview

The term “genocide of Native Americans” describes a long historical process beginning with European arrival in 1492 and continuing through the 19th century. Scholars debate whether all events meet the strict legal definition of genocide, but many agree that the cumulative impact of colonization was genocidal in scale and effect. 

Key Components of the Genocide

Population collapse: Native populations in North America fell from an estimated 5–15 million in 1492 to fewer than 250,000 by the late 19th century. 

Mass violence and warfare: Over 1,500 U.S. government–authorized wars, attacks, and raids targeted Indigenous nations. 

Forced displacement: Policies such as Indian Removal (1830–1847) led to death marches including the Trail of Tears, causing thousands of deaths. 

Massacres: Events such as Sand Creek (1864), Bear River (1863), Marias River (1870), and Wounded Knee (1890) are widely recognized as genocidal massacres. 

Disease: “Virgin soil epidemics” devastated communities lacking immunity to Old World diseases, contributing significantly to depopulation. 

Cultural destruction: Forced conversion, boarding schools, suppression of languages, and destruction of religious practices constituted cultural genocide. 

Causes and Motives

Settler colonialism: European and U.S. expansion sought Indigenous land and resources. 

Racism and white supremacy: Indigenous peoples were portrayed as “savages,” justifying violence and dispossession. 

Manifest Destiny: Ideology that framed westward expansion as a divine mission. 

Scholarly Debate

Strict definitions emphasize intentional state policies aimed at extermination.

Broad definitions focus on outcomes—mass death, cultural destruction, and dispossession—even without explicit extermination orders.

Scholars like Raphael Lemkin (who coined “genocide”) considered Native American displacement a clear example of genocide. 

Others argue certain events were genocidal, but the entire history should be classified as ethnic cleansing rather than genocide. 

Conclusion

Regardless of definitional debates, historical evidence shows that European and U.S. colonial expansion unleashed massively destructive forces—violence, disease, displacement, and cultural suppression—that decimated Native American populations and societies.