does american indian and native american mean the same thing?

Question

im not sure if american indian and native american mean the same thing. also, can someone tell me what the predominant indian religion is? also, did indians some from india? or are people who are indonesian come from india? im confused

Answer 1

The terms technically refer to the same people. They were both coined for politically correct reasons. Honestly, native people prefer to be called by their tribal names, as we are all different.

As for the "predominant Indian religion", do you mean in India or by Native people in America? In India, I believe the predominant religion in Hinduism. (80% of the people of India are Hindus.)

As for in America, it's a really hard thing to answer. Native American history is filled with various missionaries representing different religions trying to convert the Native people.

Traditionally, I can't really say that you can put a name to religion of Native people. All tribes have different beliefs, religious practices, different idols and creation stories. You would have to be more specific in asking about a particular tribe.

To answer your next question, the indigenous people of North America were dubbed "Indians" when Christopher Columbus landed and mistakenly thought he was in the West Indies. Indonesians come from Indonesia, a country of a group of islands located in Southeast Asia. People from the country of India are also called Indians. Though I believe they too have more specific traditional names for themselves, as Native people of North America.

I hope that helps alleviate some of your confusion.

Answer 2

The people who live in India are called Indians (properly). Native Americans are called Indians (improperly) because when the first settlers came over here and saw the natives, they thought they had reached the east indies and therefore dubbed the natives "Indians". The name just stuck. If you mean the predominant religion of India, it's Hinduism. Native Americans follows different religions, but are mostly Christian. Some of them still follow native belief systems.

Answer 3

Native Americans and plains Indians are all American Indians. Some of the Plains tribes were Comanchee Kiowa Osage Panee, Oto Mandan Sioux Cheyenne, which means dog in french, they called themselves Tsis TsisTsas, Arapahoe, and more whom I can't remember now.

Answer 4

American Indians are now called Native Americans to be politically correct. They didn't come from India. I have read that they migrated to Alaska/Canada, then here, from Asia/Russia (before they were separated by water). Indonesians come from Indonesia. Indians (non-native american) come from India.

Answer 5

In the US, they do mean the same thing. We don't have one predominant religion, as there are over 500 separate nations (tribes if you will.) Although the Bering Strait theory that we migrated from Asia is widely known, it's offensive to some Native people who keep traditions.

My particular nation, the Eastern Cherokee, are predominantly Baptist.

Answer 6

To be politically corect Native American.

Answer 7

indians never came from india. columbus thought that he had reached india when he came to the americas, so he called them indians. each tyoe of tribe has their own religion. and the two names are the same

Answer 8

yes