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Thomas L. Hutcheson's avatar

One thing which might have been done differently was TO inquire after the beliefs of the conquered and preserve their assets and documents. True it would run the risk of some of the conquerors "goin native," presumably the concern of the writer of Deut. 12:26.

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Misha Saul's avatar

They did. In the 1800s there were a flurry of attempts — the assumption was that the natives were going to go extinct and there was a desire to document their extensive and complex languages and culture. Tough given their fragmentation and remoteness. Maybe more could have been done, not sure

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Thomas L. Hutcheson's avatar

Glad to hear of it in Australia. Actually, I was thinking of the Spanish in Mexico and Central America where the destruction of the culture was more deliberate.

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Misha Saul's avatar

Was it? My impression was that the Spanish wrote lots about what they found

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