: : It seems that Tolkien had a profound dislike for the
: : Dunlendings. I don't think he intended them to settle any new
: : lands after the restoration of peace. I think the people coming
: : up the Greenway may have been the original population of Arnor
: : returning from exile.

: I thought he portrayed them rather sympathetically. What led you to believe he didn't like them?

: Of course, the Dunlendings are not required for a recolonization of Arnor, but there's no way the original population could return from exile, as you put it. Bree, the Shire, Buckland, and whatever wandering folk existed were all that remained of the original population.

Though it could be argued that the Dunlendings were part of the original population of Eriador. At least some of them were decended from people living in southern Minhiriath.

Not all the Dunlendigs seem to have supported Saruman (reading between the lines), and as the largest concentration of men on the outskirts of Eriador I think they would have been an attractive source of colonists to the new government of Arnor. Given Aragorn's treatment of the Hadadrim and folk of Nurn, it seems that he would have gone to some considerable trouble to reconcile the Dunlendings to his overlordship. Indeed putting the Dunlendings under the control of their hereditary enemies seems to run against the tenor of Aragorn's recorded post-Ring War policies in dealing with former enemies and other disaffected folk.

Where is the information for the Rohanic take over of Dunland from? Is it stated that all Dunland went to Rohan or merely part? It would be a major strategic blunder for Aragorn to have let the land link between his two kingdoms fall under the control of a foreign power, however friendly!