Did the Dunlendings get a raw deal from Gondor and the Rohirrim?

[Halasían]

Great debate and information here on the subject of the Dunlandings.

Many parallels can be made on how indigenous peoples were treated in the Americas and Australia by the European Colonial powers.

I have to give wonder about the vast forests that stretched across the west before the indiscriminate logging done by the Numenoreans. Too bad they didn't put into practice in Middle Earth some of the forestry methods they used on the island.

 

[Segovax]

Injustice!

I believe an injustice was done to the Dunlendings. Why would they want to help Gondor at Celebrant anyway, what with the bad rep with the Numenorean usurpers and tree-fellers? The Rohirrim settling of Calenardhon can be compared to the Anglo-Saxon invasion of Celtic Britain. A fair-haired people driving off supposedly uncilvilised and inferior hill folk can not be the whole story. The winners write the history books, as we all know, so I think the possibility of Eorling injustice done to the Dunlendings cannot be ruled out. Does Wulf the Usurper of Rohan's Throne really deserve that title, or was he just re-claiming his people's rightful lands? I see no mention in Tolkien's lore of the Eorlingas even attempting to reconcile with Dunland, or Gondor offering compensation to its displaced subjects in Calenardhon. No wonder Saruman found such willing allies in the hills of Dunland!

 

[baragund]

I tend to agree with you, Segovax. The Numenoreans of the late 2nd Age and the Gondorians of the early 3rd Age did not treat the Dunlendings well at all, IMO. A little bit of sustainable harvesting and a little bit of respect for the Dunlending's lands would have served the Numenoreans well in the long run.

 

[dregj]

it has been a while since reading the book but do they have a war in the east after the war of the ring ends.(in the notes at the end)
I seem to recall something about aragorn and eomer fighting many campaigns in the east
do they mention the dunlendings
there territory is supposed to be east of rohan /rhun sea area (am i remembering this correctly?)


Anyway

in my opinion the straw heads should have slaughtered the lot of them