And most Native American communities thought they were intrisically more valuable than other communities, whom they warred against, and other animals, whom they ate...after they thanked them politely, of course! A lot of the new age mumbo-jumbo that gets passed off as native American philosophy is so much wishful thinking. And, of course, it's good PR, so Indian groups will tell you it themselves!

This is a very inacurate depiction of their traditions and spiritual philosophies. And it sounds very patronizing and dismissive as well. You talk about Indians as if they are naughty children. You wouldn't appreciate people stereotyping all Jews as being exotic but cute people who spend all of their time dancing the hora, but that's how you sound when talking about American Indian culture.

While many American Indian tribes did engage in warfare, they saw it as an important part of the process of making them stronger and better as people and as a people. And yes, they did have great respect and regard for their opponents, if they thought their opponents were worthy. And they were also keenly aware of the interconnectedness of all things in nature. They had to be... their survival depended on it. So when they took a life, they did it with respect, and with gratitude for the life given. And they didn't trash that life by treating it as if it didn't matter, as is so often the case with the European mentality. And I say this from my experiences of spending quite a lot of time with and around people from those cultures, reading what they write, and listening to what they have to say amongst themselves, and not for the consumption of the "New Age" community.

On the subject of your main point, I would like to point out to you the fact that I have repeatedly stated that I do not advocate giving land back to the American Indians. That is an illogical and worn out old debate tactic that people keep using against anyone who has anything at all critical to say about the Israeli government. They are trying to make it look like I am suggesting giving all of Israel back to the Palestinians (WHICH I AM NOT, AND NEVER HAVE). If you have a problem with this type of stealth argumentum ad hominem, take it up with the ones who use it.