If I was born in America why can't I be called a Native American?

Question

I'm a native to this country what else are you going to call me. A European American? Is politcal correctness so crazy that I can't even be called a native american because I'm not an Indian.
even if that guy was joking i think it's a fair point.

During the same time that Asians were crossing the bearing straight Europeans were crossing the Frozen Atlantic ocean. this was near the end of the ice age. This was featured on a great peice by the discovery channel.

But Caucasions are are the majority in this country so the comparision of me being born in china and considering myself native chinease is a pretty lame arguement.

Answer 1

You're a native-born American, but the term Native American has taken on a specific and different connotation.
I mean, you could point to a strobing beacon and call it a flashlight, since it's a flashing light, but the word is already understood to mean something else. Language is used for communication alone, and to be technically accurate at the expense of sacrificing clear communication goes against the fundamental purpose of language.

Answer 2

You are absolutely correct. We should be able to be called native Americans as well. Some of the people answering the questions here, don't know or remember that the original Native Americans that first settled in Arizona, the Anazagi(unsure of the spelling)came from China over the northern route through the Aleutian islands. They were not native as our ancestry was not native. They came from China and we came mostly from European descent.

It has just been that they are called native Americans and we are called Americans.

I think we need to drop all labels such as Native American, Asian American, Afro American, etc. All those that have been born here or are naturalized citizens are AMERICANS, period. Unite the melting pot and let is rest.

Answer 3

The main reason is because true Native Americans were here to begin with...from day one...they think...

Basically, they believed that Native Americans were the original peoples of the Continent of North America, and that the Pilgrims and other immigrants fathered people who have been born in America since the coming of the first Pilgrims.

So, as per the government, you are not a Native American because of your descendants. Again, this is the Government's belief, not necessarily mine.....

I think it would be safest to call yourself an American Native rather than a Native American. I am an "Indian" by birthrite, but that does not mean all of my descendants were "Indians." The truth is, there are VERY few full-bloods left.................

Answer 4

As far as I am concerned, as an Australian,
A native in Australia is called Aboriginals.
I'm not an Aboriginal, nor am I a decendant, so I am not a native, thats why you are an American, & not a decendant of the the Red Skin American native!
you will have to except this at least you have no problem understanding that you & the natives of America, are citizens born in America.

Answer 5

Well, you may call yourself a native American, but a the majority of the people will know that you're not.

Native Americans are those peole who's ancestry was here before columbus cruzed over here.

We were calling the natives Indians, because columbus was testing this weed he'd picked up while passing the mother land, known as mutagalumbahji, which means good travels, columbus became misoriented and caught the mile high wind, which caused him to hang a hard right, 2x's going north and a head wave kicked him to the left 2x's, which caused him to traveling eastward again.

After some time at sea, with some good weed, Hennesey, ribs, tater chip, and tater salad. Columus stood up and said in a slobbering voice and yelled "Engines" (Indians). As they cruzed passed, the brothers were starring, with arms folded and shanks under their clothing, saying, "what up", with a head chuck which followed, the caucasions were saying "howdy", with a big smile and rotted teeth, waving joyfully. the spanish were yelling, "beta, beta, beta, mieltha, beta" and the natives just stood and looked with much surprise.

Answer 6

Because in the PC world we live in you have to use terms like native American and African American to denote the races. You can't be called that because it's already taken by an ethnic group. If you are a Caucasian you are an invader and an enslaver. So rather than a native American just be proud that you are the winner.

Answer 7

I don't think it is politically correct to call oneself Native American. After all, the proper term is aboriginal. Because they were here before anyone else, they have more claim to the land than anyone else. I don't mean, say, if your house is sitting on land that used to belong to the Cherokee that you should give it up, but any unclaimed land or substitute land and financial compensation due should be offered to them.

My definition of political correctness gone amok is when a militant gay activist gets upset at me for simply debating civil unions vs. same-sex marriage. I am not homophobic, not the Christian fundamentalist type. They accuse me of all sorts of horrible things. If I suggest that Islam is a good religion that is misunderstood, then the same politically correct fanatics get upset at me. I say we must respect that in the Middle East religion matters and Islam doesn't call for a separation of religion and the state as America or Canada do. They blow up at me for that. They hate the suggestion that religion matters, but when dealing with Israel and the Middle East, there are two major religions to recognize, not to mention the rights of Christians in Israel and Bahais and Zoroastrians in Iran.

Answer 8

There was a story on the news about the black protestors in France. The news was calling them African Americans. They were French. You are a native American, and screw anyone that trys to take that away from you. The Indians are Indians.

Answer 9

I'm a proud white native American. This is my home, it's the only place I've ever known!!! Anyone born in America is a native American, I agree.

Answer 10

You can be called anything you answer to.Any box you mark on any form you sign. Why would you want to be called by what you are.I want to be me,not black,mexican,white,Indian,or any other race.My race don't make me a person it makes me fit into a category like animals at a zoo,just so the government can keep count of how many of what we have in the good ol'USA.