How did European diseases affect Indigenous peoples in the Pacific mountain region?

The introduction of European diseases had a catastrophic impact on Indigenous peoples throughout the Pacific mountain region, as they lacked immunity to these foreign illnesses. Beginning in the late 18th century and continuing through the 19th century, epidemics of smallpox, measles, scarlet fever, and venereal infections caused extremely high mortality rates.12

It is estimated that the Indigenous population in the region declined by as much as 80 percent between 1780 and 1900. This rapid depopulation caused profound social disruption, forcing societies to reorganize roles and status positions, often through adoptions or the allocation of multiple titles to single individuals. Furthermore, the death of elders and knowledge keepers led to a significant loss of ritual and practical information.2

The suffering caused by these diseases was a fundamental injustice of the colonial era, representing a tragic loss of life and cultural continuity. While Indigenous peoples demonstrated remarkable resilience in the face of this devastation, the demographic collapse fundamentally altered their social structures and economic realities for generations.23