HZ: That's true that the great majority of
Indians died of disease in the 17th century when the Europeans first
came here. But after that -- after the American Revolution -- when the
colonists expanded from the thin band of colonies along the Atlantic
and expanded westward, at that point we began to annihilate the Indian
tribes. We committed massacres all over the country . . . .
DP: What percentage of the Indians do you believe we massacred, as opposed to diseases ravaged?
HZ: Oh, well it might have been 10 percent.
DP: But 10 percent is very different from the generalization of "we annihilated the Indians."
HZ:
Oh, well 10 percent is a huge number of Indians, that is. So it's
pointless I think to argue about whether disease . . . or deliberate
attacks killed more Indians . . . .
DP: No, but 10 percent is very different from what the
general statement of "annihilate" tends to indicate. That's all I am
saying.
HZ: Okay.