Why are Native Americans referred to, as NATIVE when.....?

Question

they were here first? Isn't the white man, the TRUE Native American?
Just a thought that I would like all to answer, and thumbs down to any negative and racial slander,,,,,,,,
Thumbs up to those who touch my soul with the answer!

I have Cherokee blood in me,,,,
and people 'like me' don't start wars-
no offense taken,,,,I don't believe in war.

Forgive, as with old age, the memory tends to fade with it,,,,,for some reason, Native was meaning to me, NOT of the origin or area, so, due in part to my not looking it up, I offended some, and bewildered others,,,,,,,
Indians were here first, there fore, they are the Native americans,,,,,,that makes the white men,,,,,the invadors of their soil-
Now that I know this, I thank you for your input, but humbly apologize to those whom I offended, and believe when I say that upsetting anyone was NOT my intention,,,,,I just thought Native meant the opposite to what it really means.--I have been out of school for far too long,
again, ANOTHER HUMBLING EXPERIENCE ON YAHOO ANSWERS!!!!
I go in a good way,
Trin

Answer 1

People like you, not to be mean at all, started the Indian Wars. Wouldn't you think that since the white man started the countries of America, they should have rightful claim to its land. Indians are called Native American because they are the real American culture, meaning that they are the culture that originated in America. The new American culture is not entirely ours because it's European based. Native Americans created their own gods and spirits, while we came with European Catholicism and Protestantism. No, the white man's culture can be found all over the world. The Native American's distinct cultures can only be found on this continent alone, that is why they are native. Do you see my point?

Answer 2

"Native American" refers to the indigenous peoples the pre-Colombian inhabitants of the Americas. The term "Indian" came from Columbus when he thought he arrived in the Indies... however, their are different thoughts to which ethnic group inhabited the Americas... going back over 12,000 years when the migration of humans over the land bridge that formally connected the continents would be the first inhabitants of the Americas. The Paleoamericans spread though-out the land and formalized different cultures, societies and tribes. These peoples could be considered the predecessors to the "modern" Native Americans. However, the Solutrean hypothesis argues that the Europeans traveled during the Ice Age and brought their advances in stone-tool technology from the Clovis society. The Clovis peoples originated from parts of France and Spain. There is a lot of research supporting all different theories to who the "true" inhabitants of the Americas were... mostly its still technically theories, hypothesis, and research.... hope this helps!! :)

Answer 3

I'm not sure how one could argue the modern Caucasian immigrant is the true Native American, and not even their children or grandchildren either. Hey, my ancestors down to me have been in this country for just shy of four hundred years, how long does it take?

However, in archeology, they are finding that the oldest dozen skeletons found in North America all have Caucasian features, so it very well may be that those who entered by the Siberian land bridge fought and displaced the Caucasian settlers who were already here. It's always a mistake to assume that early Americans (in a broad sense) were a static and peaceful collection of people. There were very dynamic, moving, fighting, adapting ...

Answer 4

Native means original. So, Native Americans means original Americans. So, that's the reason.

I don't know why we had to have a special name for them. Native Australians are not called Native Australians -- they are called Aborigines.

Native Americans used to be called Indians since the early American explorers thought they were arriving in India. The name stuck for a surprisingly long time, even though the expolorers quickly realized the people they round on the American continent were not Indians and they had not reached Asia.

Answer 5

Well, the answer is that probably they were not here first either. There is increasing evidence that the ancestors of current American Indians came in waves, and that sometimes a newcomer group from Asia would wipe out older groups already settled in the continent. I believe they have even found evidence of primitive massacres or genocides in Pedra Furada archeological site in Brazil.

Answer 6

Native means the original so it would make sense that they are the native americans because they were the first people in America.

Answer 7

Native refers to "original" so native vegetation is plants that would be naturlly occuring at a location.

The native americans were here before the white man came and were the original peoples to inhabit the land so they are native to the land.




g-day!

Answer 8

Doesn't Native mean the original people of the land? If so, they were. When they came over from Asia they were the first to inhabit North America.

Answer 9

Huh?? Do you understand what "Native" means? So why ask why they are referred to as Native...weird. Whites may have decided to call this place America and call themselves Americans, but only their decedents that would be born here would be Native to it, though by birth and not by genetics. (Well, until some of those kids were to fall in love with some locals.)

Answer 10

I never called myself NA...I am EasternBand Cherokee and Oglala Lakota.....never would I even call myself anything else but an Indian.....I agree with TwoCrows I have met alot of so called Cherokees who claim they are when it is convenient to them......most of these same people have no clue let alone an idea of what it is to be Indian......or care about their culture.....especially the ones claiming "I am Part".....give me a break!....Yeah I am American Indian woman from two nations and proud!......