Why did the indians in North America sometimes welcome and other times resist European Traders?
Probably, like many other non-European cultures, they were friendly towards the early arrivals, and then only developed hostility towards them when they realised the European game plan was taking over property etc. A terrific example is the Lewis and Clark expedition, who left their horses and some other equipment with the Nez Perce Indians (a branch of the Sioux) of the far north east plains, while the expedition travelled over the Rockies to the Pacific Ocean and back. Upon their return, the Nez Perce returned all of their horses etc to them. Later the US Government decided to rid the area of the Nez Perce, and attacked them without cause or declaration. I think conflict was inevitable, because the Europeans were intent on occupying and claiming, fencing off etc land, which the Indians had travelled across and used since time immemorial.
