What effect did European colonization have on the indigenous population?

It led to their decline, in some cases even to their extinction.

Explanation:

When the Europeans first came there were millions of Natives who were scattered across the continent. But when the Europeans started colonizing it, their number started decreasing. The main reasons at the beginning were wars, but then changed when the  Europeans started spreading diseases. The deadliest among them were smallpox. Millions of Natives died because of this disease.

one way archaeology us understand the past is through the material objects it finds, allowing us to know what was being used, and when. for example a dig recently found a flute, believed to be the oldest musical instrument found to date.

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