Why Are West Indians Also Called Red Indians?

Question

What Is So RED In Them? They Are Rather Black....

Answer 1

Helllo. I think what is happening; Americans (United States) believe they have to make some kind of distinction between "their" Native American Indian population and other humans referred to as Indian, to avoid confusion in conversation with other Americans.
I thought this was just a North American phenomena? Because the first type of human coming to mind when the word indian is used here, is usually the Native American Indian. So you get stuff like 'red' or 'innuit' or 'islander' and maybe the worst statement "India Indian", all used as feeble classifications.
None of the words are very Politically Correct I suppose, but this is the way I think it all came to be in the first place.

Answer 2

Indian means from India. Europeans were trying to get to India when they landed in the new world, the Americas...they thought they were in India and thus called the natives Indians. Some Native Americans do call themselves Indian, and although being Indian I don't have a specific problem with that, I do think it's a little silly.

Answer 3

Native Americans are more like Red Indians to me.

Answer 4

What you are telling is not true.The West Indies people are known as West Indians, that's all.Nobody calls them "Red Indians".You got a wrong information.

Answer 5

Somebody told you wrong. I am Jamaican and have never even heard of being called West Indian.

Answer 6

what?????......I do not know what you are talking about........west indians are people from the caribbean......they can be black, indian, asian, spanish, syrian....whatever

I know that they call lightskinned people RED