How can you reduce the destruction of North American First Nations?

[Driftless]

Have one of the Portuguese explorers who tried to reach the americas before Columbus make it there, inevitably spread disease, but get lost at see trying to return to Europe. the earlier European diseases are introduced to the americas the sooner the mass die off happens and the more time people have to recover their numbers before interacting with actually European colonizers, not just their germs.

I think the disease cycle has to start by 1100-1200CE to allow time for both spread, adaptation, and population recovery. That is, if the next wave of Europeans arrive by 1500CE

 

[Richard V]

The impact of disease and its timing are critical, so having the Vindlanders kick off the cycle 400-500 years earlier may help - in the long run.

After that, some technology exchange would be a big help: improved metallurgy, expanded animal domestication, increased use of the wheel, improved deepwater shipbuilding.

There was nothing more important than the technology for rebuilding population. That means increasing food production with the plough. I would regard that as more important than even metallurgy. The Andeans had the native foot plough, not nearly as efficient, but would be an improvement for other parts of the New World.

 

[Driftless]

There was nothing more important than the technology for rebuilding population. That means increasing food production with the plough. I would regard that as more important than even metallurgy. The Andeans had the native foot plough, not nearly as efficient, but would be an improvement for other parts of the New World.

Good point about food and good nutrition being key to recovery from disease, especially epidemics. To make any form of plow(wood/bone/metal) more efficient; they need draft animals. It would take a few generations for breeding populations of Fjord horses or oxen to spread far enough. Maybe a little local help from some brave souls? There is plenty of evidence from the 19th and 20th centuries of localized harnessing of the moose. Bring that forward by a few hundred years - perhaps either by the indigenous folks observing the Vinlanders work with horses or oxen; or vice-versa?

 

[Richard V]

Good point about food and good nutrition being key to recovery from disease, especially epidemics. To make any form of plow(wood/bone/metal) more efficient; they need draft animals. It would take a few generations for breeding populations of Fjord horses or oxen to spread far enough. Maybe a little local help from some brave souls? There is plenty of evidence from the 19th and 20th centuries of localized harnessing of the moose. Bring that forward by a few hundred years - perhaps either by the indigenous folks observing the Vinlanders work with horses or oxen; or vice-versa?

Humans used to do it all the time.

 

[Driftless]

Humans used to do it all the time.

No doubt, but not at all efficient. If you hope to increase your production, then you need to improve your methods; so in this case, draft animals are the logical force multiplier

 

[funnyhat]

There are ideas that if the "Filles du roi" never happened that the French adventurers of Quebec would have completely assimilated into the local tribes.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King's_Daughters.

That is doubtful. There were individual coureurs des bois who assimilated but most of the population of 3000 that existed before the government took over the colony (1663) were farmers who lived essentially as their ancestors had in Europe.

That said, France generally respected the rights of the native tribes and if French rule had continued beyond 1760, they may have had a better fate than IOTL.

 

[Richard V]

No doubt, but not at all efficient. If you hope to increase your production, then you need to improve your methods; so in this case, draft animals are the logical force multiplier

Certainly but it is far more efficient than digging sticks and a corresponding rise in crop yield is possible without beasts of burden.

That last photo was of Russian settlers in Saskatchwan in the early 1900s because even for them draft animals were too expensive. Introducing new livestock or domesticating one is a slow, expensive process. The plough can proliferate much faster using human labor.

 

[A Most Sovereign Lady]

Plainly, many hands make for lighter work.

 

[lord protector 99]

Have a policy of isolation from the colonists. Do not help them in regards to showing what crops to plant, burn their farms and ships, use local knowledge of terrain to hide from them and make life uncomfortable for them. Do not accept any gifts from and a couple of harsh winters would finish the colonists off. Rinse and repeat for any repeated colonisation attempts and the European powers that be may think that their colonists might have fallen off the edge of the earth.

But there was so many different tribes, I’m sure some did have that policy but you can’t have one uniform policy from Quebec to Florida