Why do you refer to Native Americans as Indians?

Question

I don't care about political correctness or anything, but calling Native Americans Indians is just really wrong. I mean, even though real Indians shouldn't really have that name since that's a name of the Sindhi language that the British tried to enforce (Hindustani, etc., might be better names). You ought to call Native Americans that or perhaps even Red Indians, but I think the latter might be more or less derogatory since it refers to skin color. Still, they seem to be native to the area of America. Why continue to follow the mistakes of Western explorers like Christopher Columbus by using this thoroughly inappropriate misnomer? It doesn't make sense for legitimate people to do that. (By the way, for all my fans, I decided to minimize my "The hero strikes again!" end comments on all my posts)

Maybe my statement was kind of unclear. I should clarify by saying that it is wrong for Native Americans to be known as Indians; they should be known only as Native Americans (or maybe Red Indians, but that might be insulting).

Yeah I know about what Columbus did, but why do people have to continue to follow his example? What does German-Russian-Scottish have to do with this? What do you call yourself then? Probably an American. Maybe that's because that is what you are. But calling a Native American an Indian is wrong because you're calling him/her someone he/she is not. Also, what do you mean, Mr. Second Poster? Are you angry? Why are you angry? Maybe I can help you.

I know what Columbus did! That's my point: why do we have to use the same incorrect names that he used?

Mr. Frank, don't try to downgrade me, because it seems you don't even understand what we're talking about. Even if the term "Native Americans" was used by Western explorers, it doesn't come into come into conflict with correct names. If you call them Indians, you will always be confused as to which Indians you talking about, and you'll be wrong like Columbus. Native American, on the other hand, is a name that belongs exclusively to the Native Americans. I don't care if Columbus or someone like that came up with this name too, but it is more fitting.

Answer 1

I AM A CHEROKEE,COLUMBUS WAS A RAPIST,PILLAGER,WHO TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THE GENTLE TRUSTING NATIVE AMERICANS.PEOPLE FROM INDIA ARE INDIANS,WE ARE NATIVE AMERICANS,BECAUSE WE WERE HERE FIRST.AND PEOPLE FROM INDIA WOULD PREFER TO BE CALLED PAKISTANIS,PUNJABIS,BANGALORES AND ETC.THANKS FOR INFORMING PEOPLE!!!

Answer 2

I will answer this question with a question..... Why do you call them Native Americans and then down-grade Christopher Columbus in the same sentence? Both names were instigated by the "mistakes" of Western Explorers. Whether it be Native Americans or Indians, all had there own names until the explorers renamed them to help define them in their own terms. Do you know your world history at all?

Answer 3

When Columbus made his deal with the queen of spain, it was his theory that the quickest way to get to china was not by crossing all of europe and asia to the east, but by going across the sea to the west He figured the earth was a whole lot smaller than it really is and that crossing the ocean would be a shorter trip to china. Nobody knew that there was another mass of land (the north american/south american continents)

so when he landed in the islands south of florida, he thought he was in India and so he called the natives Indians.
It's been that way for more than 500 years now. its a shame nobody thought of something else to call the native americans.

Answer 4

this Chris Columbus guy decided to sail to India, but go the other way around. When he landed in the Caribbean (Columbus never touched America...even though America is the only country that celebrates Columbus Day) he though he was in India (not a brilliant man) and called the people "Indians". nobody cares enough to bother with changing it.

Answer 5

First....community human beings don't have shamans. Shamanism is an Asian faith. 2d. No. Werewolves are a ecu delusion. All community human beings are waiting to shapeshift notwithstanding. i am going to develop right into a hamster or a penguin. My spirit animal is Scooby doo. My father can remodel right into a ostrich, yet he's been practising for years. My sister can take care of a warthog. once you've any community American ancestry in any respect, like an outstanding-grandmother who became an finished-blooded Cherokee princess, then you might want to manage to shapeshift right into a blue-footed booby on the least.

Answer 6

because when christopher columbus reached the americas, he thought it was the indies so he called them indians

Answer 7

Uh, the same reason I am not referred to as a German-Russian-English-Scottish-Cherokee-American.

Answer 8

Some people are just ignorant. Don't try to change them...It's a never ending battle.

Answer 9

b/c cristopher columbus thought he was in the indies