Did the Dunlendings get a raw deal from Gondor and the Rohirrim?

[Húrin Thalion]

And, let us not forget the military needs of Gondor, more than populating and thus protecting Calenhardon. Gondor had few horses, throughout it's history, right from the war of the Last alliance down to the Pelennor fields. Gondor needed horses, and not only horses, they needed steeds for warriors, and skilled horsemen. They were needed as vanguards, as skirmishers, and their effect in a charge was clearly shown in the battle outside the Morannon between Gondor and the wainriders. I am sure Cirion recognized this and wanted the Rohirrim as a more or less static part of the Gondorian army in times of need.

Måns

[Brytta]

And looking forward for the Dunlendings.

From ROTK, Homeward Bound:

'You will be let alone, Barliman,' said Gandalf. 'There is room enough for realms between Isen and Greyflood, or along the shore-lands south of the Brandywine...

It appears that the Dunlendings will have more neighbors. The beginning of the Fourth Age is a hopeful time. Let's hope that the Dunlendings can craft a relationship of friendship and mutual-benefit with any new arrivals.

[Inderjit S]

*bump* Any new thoughts on this topic?

[Arthur_Vandelay]

Not a new thought, exactly. But Elessar seems only to have rewarded those who assisted "his side" (so to speak) in the War of the Ring--so the Hobbits and the Woses, for example, are granted political independence. The Dunlendings didn't really fall into that category--but then they didn't really count as allies of Sauron, either (insofar as they had been manipulated by Saruman)--so they became (once again) subjects of Gondor-Arnor.

I had in another thread somewhere on the forum opined that the folk of the Druwaith Iaur should perhaps have been granted independence from Gondor-Arnor also, given that (as the UT reveals) they assailed forces of Saruman who were fleeing south from the Fords of Isen, but then I was notified that the Druwaith Iaur had never been part of Gondor-Arnor anyway.

[Inderjit S]

Also Tolkien does justify the "grievance" of the ancestors of the Dunlendings with the Men of Numenor as they chopped down their trees and destroyed their lands, and also look at the story of Tal-elmar, in which some of the faithful Numenoreans talk about forcing people off their lands because they needed it-talk about double standards! I guess in giving Calenardhon to the Rohhirim Cirion also ignored the existence of the Dunlendings-but they were not really evil, just misled and rightly angry.