Consider that the early explorers - Columbus and later - "discovered" America and promply relegated the natives to second class, usually outright slavery ! The condescending arrogance was mind boggling .... The prime objective being treasure, gold, silver, pearls .... Settlement as such came much later ..... Usually the Church ( Catholic ) and missionaries saw to it that native cultures were denigrated and their religions being "heathenish" were obscured, ditto for any of native written records ( e.g. Mexico, Aztec .. ). The treasure hunters and church were perhaps the most destructive of native Americans.