What is a Native American?

Question

The so called indians here in USA only were called that because Christopher Columbus thought he was landing in India so

1 - why do you think it is politically correct to call you indians or native Americans when you are neither?
2 - What were your ancesters called before we started calling you either one?
I am not trying to be facetious or mean.Someone asked me this and I said I would put it out here.
The reason I put it here is because I knew more people would see it and didn't know what other catagory to put it under.

**They cannot be native Americans since AMERICA hadn't been named that until many years later.That was the point of my question.

Answer 1

WOW!
Looks like not too many poeple here know how to read!

Since AMERICA didn't exsist yet they can't be native americans!

Maybe Natives or just by their tribal names.

Screw being politically correct.
As far as I am concerned that's how everything got so screwed up!
We didn't steal Mexico we won the war and I didn't personally take any land from a native"
I didn't own a slave nor ever trade one.
I am so sick of these people thinking we "OWE" them something.

Answer 2

"Native Americans" is a politically correct term used by ignorant people who know little if anything about the peoples who are indigenous to the North American continent.
Before "You "began labeling us anything besides "savages" "Red devils" & "Injuns"
We had tribal names for the peoples who were all part of the same groups or "tribes"
Most of these self given names for various tribes were the equivilant of "The people" We still carry these tribal names to this day, no matter what any others may call us. Hence the tribal names you see all over America today.
Question for you. Why do you say in your first question that we are not Native to America? If not America, where do you think that we are Native to? Same as you, I am not trying to be mean or the other words you say. Facetious, thats it. And one more thing, Please do not let your "friends" do your thinking for you. AHO.
****P.S. You need to VERIFY your e-mail if you want to have a two sided conversation, if not, thats cool too.

Answer 3

1. They are called "Native Americans" because they were here before anyone else was. They were living and surviving here, and had claimed the land they were living on. They were "native" to this land before anyone else was.

2. They were referred to by their tribal groups. My grandfather was 100 % Pottawatomie (from the lower peninsula of Michigan). He said that the different tribes of "Indians" had different traditions and practices, and were called different tribal names to differentiate them. They were of different regions of the country, and they worshiped and believed in different ways. Saying that all "Indians" are the same is like saying that every single white person is the same. They aren't; some are German, some English, some Irish, some Polish, some Russian, and so on. It's the same thing with "Indians" - some are Sioux, some are Cherokee, some are Pottawatomie, some are Mahican, and so on. What they are depends upon where their families are from, and what area of the country they lived.

Answer 4

You said, "the so called indians here in USA only were called that because CC thought he was landing in India..."
. You are VERY ignorant. Go back to school, PLEASE! See Lucky's answer. You need an education badly. The Indians from the US and the Indians from India are nothing alike. Ignorance like yours is very frustrating. I wish you would research or read or SOMETHING before you make yourself look so dumb.

Answer 5

I seem to recall that they originally came to the "America" via the Bering Strait.
I call some of them non assimilated trouble makers,hypocrites and just all around ignorant.Some of them are also jealous of Mexicans because unlike them Mexicans still have a country to call home while they only have "reservations" or "tribal lands".They are still trying to milk the fact that their land was taken and their ppl killed hundreds of yrs ago.It was hundreds of years ago.We don't owe them anything.Thats just like blacks saying we owe them reparations for slavery.
They also like to wear "native american indian" as a badge of some sort.As if to say ,"Hey,I'm a "native american indian" you should show me some respect".I actually did used to have respect for them.But a few on this board have ruined it.
To me ,from now on, if you bring up the "fact" that your "native american indian" I will instantly label you as ignorant.
If they truly loved this land they would assimilate,and stop calling themselves "native american indians" and call themselves Americans.

Answer 6

Ward Churchill called himself an Indian when he was proven otherwise. Today, jumping on the racial bandwagon is the thing to do. For the Indians, it is the casino, where only a few really prosper form all that revenue. But race overall is just another way of dividing people. For that reason we have Rev. Al Sharpton Russel Means (or however he spells it), Rev, Jackson, etc.

Answer 7

I don't know much, but I do know some "Native Americans" DON'T consider it politically correct. People I know would prefer to be called by their TRIBE and/or NATION name, not the general "racial" term given to them by OTHER people. They did not choose it and some do not like it.

I find it best just not to refer to someone as anything until you know what to call them by from information from their own mouths.

Answer 8

sho_ban_renegade...very nice!

OKAY NOW-WHEN ARE PEOPLE GOING TO EFFIN REALIZE THAT "NATIVE AMERICAN" IS A TERM THAT WAS CREATED BY WHITE AMERICA-WHITE AMERICA THOUGHT THAT MAYBE THEY'D TRY TO CORRECT COLUMBUS' SCREW UP AND CALL US SOMETHING ELSE...SOMETHING MORE "POLITICALLY CORRECT".

BEFORE ALL THE PALE MEN SET FOOT ON THIS LAND (FORMERLY KNOWN BY MOST TRIBES AS TURTLE ISLAND) EACH TRIBE HAD INDIVIDUAL DISTINGUISHING 'NAMES' AND STILL DO...I AM OF THE S'KLALLAM TRIBE, MY GRANDFATHER MOVED HERE FROM NORTH DAKOTA-HE WAS CHIPPEWA-CREE(TURTLE MOUNTAIN).

PUTTING ALL NATIVES INTO ONE CATEGORY, SAYING THAT WE ARE "NATIVE AMERICAN" OR "INDIAN" OR WHATEVER YOU CALL IT...IS THE SAME AS ME SAYING THAT EVERY SINGLE PERSON WITH WHITE SKIN IS DUTCH-DON'T TRY TO SAY THAT YOURE IRISH OR BRITTISH, IF YOURE PALE SKINNED THAN YOUR DUTCH GOSH DANG IT!!!! NOW WOULDN'T THAT BE JUST BIGOTED OF ME TO SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT-I KNOW THAT EVERYONE HAS A HERITAGE, AND I RESPECT THAT-I AM NOT THE TYPE OF PERSON TO THINK IN TUNNEL MODE, LIKE SOME OF YOU!!!!!

HELLLLOOOO PEOPLE, YOU ALL NEED TO BE A LITTLE MORE CONSIDERATE OF OUR NATIONS, AND QUIT TRYING TO BLAME US FOR WHITE AMERICA'S PC LABEL IMPOSED UPON US!!!!

SO YOU SAY: "why do you think it is politically correct to call you indians or native Americans when you are neither?"

YOUR "SOMEONE" IS A BIGOT. THINK ABOUT IT.

I AM S'KLALLAM, I AM NOT NATIVE AMERICAN OR INDIAN. I AM INDIGENOUS.

Answer 9

There are 4 root races of Humans: the white man, the red man, the yellow man, and the black man. The Native Americans are part of the red man race. In early times, Native Americans in the western regions of America were referred to as Anasazi.

I feel that referring to the indigenous people's of North America is very appropriate. Either that or you can refer to them by their own names such as Cherokee, Arapaho, etc.

Why do you say that these people are not Native Americans?

Answer 10

A Native American were the people who are indigenous in North America and have a lot of interesting cultures.