The changes to the Natives are good, but are implemented for bad reasons

Sure, Native Northern Americans didn't dance around fire pits, and they didn't mine gold. Changing parts of AOE3 for the sake of historical authenticity is fine, though may understandably be seen as too much of a change for a remake. My problem with these changes are that they were clearly made to address grievances and not inaccuracy.

I think u/Mayorcete made a good, if blunt, point that if similar historical scrutiny were placed on other civilizations in the game, we would find plenty of "tropes" and historical inaccuracies that misrepresent particular cultures. The difference with the Natives is, of course, that because the company producing this game is American, it must treat native cultures with particular care in an act of penance for America's collective guilt for native mistreatment in history. This reasoning, though not unpopular, is absurd.

I'm not just going to say "It was centuries ago, get over it, no one alive had any hand in this," clearly this statement, though not without truth, is insufficient to dispel this enduring curse of the West. Instead, let me point out that history is replete with winners and losers, conquest, genocide, and displacement. Though we may lament the near-complete destruction of these cultures, no culture, not even these, are innocent of such crimes. Thankfully, over the course of time, the frequency of these has declined somewhat, no amount of cultural flagellation will bring back the traditions and peoples long lost, nor will it ultimately grant their forgiveness.

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I hope I managed to convey the concerns of myself, and likely others. I personally am looking forward to seeing how fur trading is implemented in the game, and naturally the game itself. Though the manifestation of this thinking is admittedly quite minor, I care a lot about this game and franchise, and I would hate to see it follow this path further.