Why do most people call Native Americans "Indians"?

Question

Not that I am one, it's just that they're not the same.

Just asking.

Answer 1

Indians or Native Americans?
Our Native American inhabitants were incorrectly called Indians by early European explorers who mistakenly believed that they had reached India. Unfortunately, the mistake persists to this day, and many people still refer to all Native Americans as Indians. Even some Native Americans call themselves Indians, but most of them prefer using their legitimate tribal names. To avoid offending, you should ask a Native American if he or she minds being called Indian. I am using the term here to avoid confusing our non-American readers, and I mean no offense to my Native American neighbors.

The terms Native American and Indian are both misleading, as they suggest a homogeneous population. The original inhabitants of the United States at the time of the European invasion were composed of hundreds of different tribes. Many of the tribes did not share a common language or similar culture. In fact, some of the tribes were constantly at war with each other. Perhaps that is why many Native Americans today do not call themselves Indians or Native Americans, but prefer to say for example, "We are the Lakota people. Some call us the Sioux

http://www.usatourist.com/english/inside/indians.html

Answer 2

Well, for most people, I think we have just grown up hearing the word Indian so much that it is the first thing to pop into our heads.

I assume you know the history behind it; when Columbus first came here, he thought he was in India, so naturally he called the natives he encountered "Indians"; and it just stuck since the Natives were all in bands and didn't have a unified name (at least not one that was easy for Europeans to pronounce).

I myself, would be hesitant to go up to a Native American, or Indian, or whatever you want to call them, and say one of those words to them because I don't know what is considered offensive. Last I heard, at least in Canada, they preferred the term "First Nation" people.

But I don't know. I have some Potowatomi in me and I don't care if someone says you have "Indian" or "Native American" in me or what they say as long as I know the person doesn't mean it offensively. The only term I would not like to here is savage. Heck, redskin doesn't even bother me.

But then again, this is a white society viewpoint.

Answer 3

Native Americans were called Indians by the Christopher Columbus and the Spanish. They thought they had arrived in the Indies.

Answer 4

I am a Native woman.

The first term the colonizers used to refer to Native people was Indian. They forced this term upon us, we did not choose it for ourselves. This term is generally considered slightly offensive to Native people. Eventually society and the government realized this wasn't an appropriate term. Now the politically correct term is Native American. It refers to all Native American (Indian) people. Again. We did not choose this term! Many Native people prefer to be called: Native, Indigenous, Tribal, or by their specific tribe's names. If anyone has a problem with the term Native American they should complain to the U.S. government (not Native people) and ask the government to allow Natives to choose their own terminology

Answer 5

The reason people call native americans 'indians' is because when Coloumbus sailed the ocean blue, he was looking for India, and when he landed on America and saw the dark skinned people he assumed that he was on India and so he called them indians.

Answer 6

because of christopfer coulubus. i'm native american as you say it but I grew up being called indian since there aren't that many real indians from places like india around here.

Answer 7

yeah, and Indians from India are Indians, even the Aussie kooris, were originally 'Indians".

I tell you, we humans are a weird lot

Answer 8

the same reason why they say Columbus discovered America, when in actuality, it was already here.

Answer 9

climb down from your totem pole, use the wood to build a bridge and get over it.