Why are American Indians called "Native" instead of "First" Americans, when no human life is native here?

Question

The DNA project, as well as other anthropological evidence shows that the 1st people came here via the Bering Strait land bridge, by crossing the ocean. The only "native" life in the US were dinosaurs, and plant life. So, in effect native americans were the first immigrants. Are you native to a place if you arrived before anyone else? Is it being born here that does it? If so, there are an awful lot of native americans. Indigenous? The word means "originating where it is found". Either everyone born here is indigenous, or no one is. I know their theology says they've always lived here, but if we took theology as fact, we'd be learning creationism in school instead of science. I think people have the right to believe what they choose (and accept the consequences), but when does a group's belief system take precedence over scientific proof? Shouldn't "Native Americans" be "First Americans"?

Answer 1

The theory of the land bridge is coming under more and more criticism as the truth comes out about where we came from... I think you better go back and rethink your ideas.... There is proven evidence that we were here long before the theoretical land bridge... and besides that Native American is a name given to us by "whites", we refer to ourselves by our true names.

Answer 2

So you don't think dinosaurs or plant life (with help) migrated? How many non native plants are here that no one purposely brought over?

"Native" is more then genetics you know... "originating where it is found"...well many of us were "found" (or make that born) here. For humans in this day and age, you are native to a place if you come from their originally.

Although your whole deal is, like others with too much time on their hands, about arguing if "Native American" people were first or not...how they got here, no matter if some believe it to be creation, migration, or whatever else is the past...they have been here for many many many thousands of years, I think that kind of makes the debate pointless and rude to try to point fingers and say they aren't "native", they've been here long enough that absolutely they are... Or do you think it was just a long extended vacation from someplace else?

Dictionary.com...
1. being the place or environment in which a person was born or a thing came into being: one's native land.
2. belonging to a person by birth or to a thing by nature; inherent: native ability; native grace.
3. belonging by birth to a people regarded as indigenous to a certain place, esp. a preliterate people: Native guides accompanied the expedition through the rain forest.
4. of indigenous origin, growth, or production: native pottery.
5. of, pertaining to, or characteristic of the indigenous inhabitants of a place or country: native customs; native dress.
6. born in a particular place or country: a native New Yorker.



P.S. Are you in the states? Are you a native of your state (or the one you came from)?

Answer 3

My people are NUHI, we have artifact that places us here BEFORE the last ice age.

The land bridge is a THEORY. They STILL are not sure if asia populated HERE or WE populated Asia. Or maybe just maybe since their findings are so minute, maybe they set out and did not make it here from asia? That's the problem with crossing desolate places without vehicles or horses. How many miles was this 'land bridge' to cross in sub zero temperatures? Also the problem with theory is the LACK OF PROOF. Theory is nothing more then educated OPINION and assumptions.
So it makes the point NULL.

The interlopers called us INDIANS, now they want to call us NATIVE, we asked for NEITHER of these.

your pathetic attempt to yet again remove us has failed.

Answer 4

This is why I hate the English language, despite it being my native language. Semantics are so easlily farked about with when trying to understand something.

Okay, in this situation, 'Native' is used to mean that they were living there before European people moved there. They were already 'native' to the area. Technically it's a relative term in contrast to the European settlers.

Also, going by your version of native as "been there since THE DAWN OF TIME", nothing can be described as native...

Answer 5

Using the same logic, nobody in Europe or Asia would be native either, assuming all human life came from Africa. Good question.

Answer 6

Because they were already here long before the Vikings and Europeans arrived. That does sort of make them native to the place.

Answer 7

You mention the dinosaurs and plant life, but what about the caveman? Maybe they are thinking more of history than creation.

Answer 8

Native as is in the original human inhabitants of that land.

Answer 9

Native pretty much means first inhabitants. just like indigenous

Answer 10

I prefer First Nation.