Why are Native Americans still called Indians?

Question

It gets kind of annoying to explain which indian you are when someone asks you what race you are. Isn't rather humorous that we give them this name because some white guy couldn't admit he was lost and did not ask for directions. In other words Columbus did not want to look like an a$$ in front of his crew so he lied.

I am not mad that CC discovered the US i am just humored that white people can't still think Native Americans are Indians.

Answer 1

Why is an Indian calling himself a Native American? they never called themselves that when they migrated here across the Bering Straight.

I was born here, I am a Native American.

Use of the term by Indian activists is a political statement, not a tribal origin.

Answer 2

I'm native and I'm American. Why would I call someone else that as a descriptive term meaning anything other than what it means when applied to me? I don't believe in separating people by race and origin and giving some of them special status. This is obviously confusing the Mexicans as they think that since they have some central American Indian ancestors they can get some sort of native American status. Native means from here. Born here. My home town etc. Which happens to be located within the legal boundaries of the USA. Indians is just easier. Knowing their names would be even better as I prefer to call someone by name rather than their racial description.

Answer 3

Well Drake if you look at all the white people who think they are native Americans then you will see that at least the Indians added on to that helps to separate the infiltraitors from the true Natives.

It still gets confusing when people talk about Indians though because their are other groups that are called Indians.

Answer 4

The problem is there never really has been a unique or totally correct term for the people that were here before us.

Even Native American is iffy, because we're not precisely 100% sure that even they were the first inhabitants of the Contintent.

"Spanish" refers to people from Spain, not to Mexicans who speak it here, "Hispanic" refers actually to the Portuguese and Spaniards on Hispanola (Spain and Portugal put together), "Latin/Latino/Latina" refers back ultimately to Latium in Italy (meaning it should probably only mean Italians).

The closest thing to a term I've found has been "Mestizo", but then again, not everybody in Central or Southern America is mixed.

Answer 5

Well it probably sticks around because people's terms of preference vary... I've heard some say they prefer to be called Native, and I've heard others say they prefer Indian. Really if people want to be correct about it, then a person should probably be called by their Nation/tribe.

Question, maybe a dumb one... In India do people say "Indian" or is Indian the English variation? If it is... well then technically the word is different.

Answer 6

Columbus was trying to reach the 'Indies' or 'spice islands' - at the time, very little was known to europeans about that side of the world, so when he found tropical islands after sailing west even farther than he expected he would have to (he radically underestimated the circumference of the earth), he mistakenly identified them as the Indies. Thier still called the West Indies, and the original spice islands have since been called the East Indies, so, yeah, that original mistake still resonates.

Obviously they shouldn't be called Indians, since that's what people from India are. Similarly, they shouldn't be called native Americans, because that's what anyone born in America is. You could call individuals by thier tribal affiliation, which would be the more propper and respectful thing to do, anyway, and, collectively 'North American Tribal Peoples' would seem accurate.

Answer 7

I'm a full blooded Mohawk Indian, Indian doesn't offend me Native American is fine but I personally draw the line at aboriginal! But that is just a personal thing... I believe they hauled out that phrase to be politically correct.

I have seen the other Native Americans on this site refer to themselves as NDN (abreviated Indian) and Skins, I find those phrases just fine!

Answer 8

Indian is the older name. The continent wasn't called "America" until after Christopher Columbus was dead. I think "American Indian" is a less confusing name that "Native American".

Answer 9

I am American Indian from two nations EasternBand Cherokee and Oglala Lakota when some one asks me this is what I say....when I am around other (skins) we usually say what nation we are from.....I dont say Native American because that can be anyone born here in america....

Answer 10

Columbus gave Native Americans the name Indians because he thought he was in India.