NationStates Jolt Archive

I have wondered what they prefered to be called.

NA is a big step from Indians but is it right?

Since we have a few here, I am curious to their opinions....

My friends like to be called American Indians... Or Canadian Indians...

So weird...

I use the term Amerindian, but that is just my preference.

They cant just be called Indians, it gets all confusing when you are talking about people from india

I find that I have to specify my tribe for people to believe I'm part 'Native American'. Atka Aleuts look more Asian than like the steotypical plains Indians that most people associate with 'Native Americans'. The indeginous people of north america varied greatly in their physical traits, perhaps it's more appropriate to specify the tribal group rather than lump us all together.

American Indians is a misnomer, so I believe Native American to be a more accurate term. However, I get a kick out of hearing politically correct liberal-pansies whine, so I prefer to use the term "American Indian". :p

They cant just be called Indians, it gets all confusing when you are talking about people from india
I found that annoying in 3rd grade. Trying to explain the difference between a half Indian and an American Indian

I had a freind who was Chippewa indian, he didnt really care.but if he had a preference he would choose the name of his tribe.
Chippewa.

I wonder what Salishe will say...im sure he'll be on later....

My friend George Thomson preferred to be called Iroquois, or even better, Seneca. Anything else was too vague and generic.

He said he did not feel much in common with, say, the Tlingit any more than he did with the Dutch.

I use the term Amerindian, but that is just my preference.

I use that term, my grandma, who is Metis just uses Indian and looks at you like "Wtf?" if you say Native.

She uses Aboriginal too.

Indians is right, because the word itself actually derives from the word indigenous (meaning: here from the start, roughly). Native Americans actually is wrong, because the indigenous people here were originally from Asia.

The point is with anyone getting angry about it in the first place is that so much emphasis is placed on how important the term is. No one cares that much. Maybe the point is to just move past the fact that we look different and have different backgrounds and live happily in the moment and the future...

The point is with anyone getting angry about it is that so much emphasis is placed on how important the term is. No one cares that much. Maybe the point is to just move past the fact that we look different and have different backgrounds and live happily in the moment and the future...

They cant just be called Indians, it gets all confusing when you are talking about people from india
I found that annoying in 3rd grade. Trying to explain the difference between a half Indian and an American Indian
You're half Indian eh? So am I. It is annoying when people ask me "What ethnicity are you" and I reply "Asian (or India) Indian and white." Then it's "What tribe?" Then I have to say "No, no, INDIA Indian." :) Hehe.

Indians is right, because the word itself actually derives from the word indigenous (meaning: here from the start, roughly). Native Americans actually is wrong, because the indigenous people here were originally from Asia.
Are you sure it's derived from indigenous, and it didn't just become a synonymn for the word indigenous AFTER North America was colonized? I'll look up the etymology of this word, otherwise it'll be bugging me for hours..

Bonk, I was right:
indian
\In"di*an\ (?; 277), a. [From India, and this fr. Indus, the name of a river in Asia, L. Indus, Gr. ?, OPers. Hindu, name of the land on the Indus, Skr. sindhu river, the Indus. Cf. Hindoo.] 1. Of or pertaining to India proper; also to the East Indies, or, sometimes, to the West Indies.

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=indian

This makes sense, as the Indus valley civilization was quite ancient..

The only reason we are called Indians is because Columbus was stupid in that when he hit Hispaniola he thought he was close to India..as in the country..on his search to find a sea route to the East.

I prefer either my own people's tongue.....Tsalagi...or Cherokee...in a pinch I dont mind American Indian, Amerindian...I can see where some might get uptight over Native American..as most people in the US at this point would say they are "native" to this country.

Uhh..I was always told that the name came from Columbus....who was looking for a way to get to India, or Cafe as it was known then..so that when he landed, he thought he had arrived there,,,,and called the people he saw.."Indians"....
Later..he realized he was an idiot.

Actually, Columbus never did realise he was an idiot and he died believing he had sailed to Asia.

P.S. The name "Indian" for the native inhabitants of the American continents does come from Columbus calling them such, not because the word means "indigenous"

I prefer either my own people's tongue.....Tsalagi...or Cherokee

I gotta ask...

Why dont we call your people "The Tsalagi Tribe"..where did "Cherokee" come from?

I would have thought that they would not want to be called by the generalised term of 'Indian' and would prefer to be known by their tribal name....