CGP Grey made a very convincing video on the argument that at least in the US, unexpectedly enough, "Indian" is probably the most appropriate term to use for Native Americans for a multitude of reasons: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kh88fVP2FWQ
Many of us do not like the term native american. Native, related to nativity, means born somewhere. When we use this term other people will inevitably say, "Hey I just realized something, I'm a native american too - I was born here just like you."
Use of the term Indian is considered rude in Canada where "First Nations" is widely accepted as the preferred term. However, Canada did previously use Indian, such as their law known as the Indian Act. The term "Aboriginal" in Canada has generally replaced Indian in legal and formal contexts outside of the Indian Act to inclusively refer to First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples collectively.
In the US, American Indian, Indian, and Native American are all used. Among younger indians NDN, and Skins are popular endonyms. These terms probably should not be used by those who are not Indian themselves though unless they have been given the go ahead, any more than one would use the term "homeboy" inappropriately.
In both US and Canada indians generally prefer the names of their nation when dealing with issues specific to a particular nation or their own culture. But there is also a need for a term to distinguish indigenous peoples of the americas collectively, hence Indian, American Indian, West Indian, and First Nations.
Why do we use an english word? Because there are hundreds of different indigenous american languages represented. English is now a commonality in the US and when we use the term we often do so when we find ourselves speaking the English language to someone. Historically, there was no one term used by all nations that had the same sort of meaning. Many of our native languages don't use any term exactly like "indian" in meaning. However, in many native languages of what is now called the United States, our own word to collectively refer to the original peoples of Turtle Island, distinguishing us from the invaders and occupiers (sometimes called white men), is red man, red skin, red person. So that would be the most appropriate sort of term were we to use something with an indigenous perspective. Unfortunately, these days there are some activists claiming these traditional concepts are bad. So it is quite common to find whites tell us that redskin is racist, to tell us that indian is wrong, and to tell us that we are all natives, including them, the illegal alien white occupiers of and squatters upon our sovereign lands.
As far as the term "Indian" is applied to the many various peoples groups east of the Indus River Valley, that term used with them is a european construct as well. It was not used by people in that area to describe themselves until european colonialists and occupiers arrived and promoted the term. So to say it is correctly applied to people from that region, but not to us is a claim that comes from historical ignorance.
I was asked by an Indian to use the term Indian: "I'm not a 'Native American'. I'm an Indian!"
Then again, a friend of mine who's Apache asked me to use the term "Native American": "The people who want to be called Indian are ignorant people from the reservation." Which, wow. Seemed kinda presumptuous to me, but whatevs.
Apparently, some Indians find "Native American" offensive, and some Native Americans find "Indian" offensive. Just ask directly, is your best bet.
You'll even find extremely knowledgable American history professors who use the term to describe Native Americans. Their graduate students, however, will tell you separately that they want and expect you to use more politically correct terms instead. Just has to do with the times.
I was directly asked by an American Indian: "Don't call me Native American, First People or anything like that. I'm an Indian. Native American is a term invented by white people"
So, I called people Indians until a Native American said to me: "I prefer Native American. Indian is derogatory." When I asked her about what my previous friends said, she said "The people who want to be called Indian are ignorant people from the reservation who don't know any better"
I think it's just best policy to ask whatever term someone prefers to use, and use that.
What about the term "American Indian"? I feel like that would be useful in headlines to set the context, so that then everyone knows which "Indian" is being referred to.
> Many of us do not like the term native american. Native, related to nativity, means born somewhere. When we use this term other people will inevitably say, "Hey I just realized something, I'm a native american too - I was born here just like you."
Thanks for sharing that! That is interesting and would probably be surprising to most people in US.
There is a joke Slavoj Zizek has, how he was told by a friend the term Indian is preferred, as it is a testament to white men's stupidy, who thought they found India when they came here.
In Britain we'd probably go with Native American in a formal context, American Indian might be used but probably isn't as common anymore I'd say, Red Indian would be understood as well but it's a bit dated, I assume that would be considered an offensive term in the US though.
So while we use/understand the term (American) Indians, Indian by itself would be considered to refer to people from India.
In theory the rule is that you're supposed to refer to people by what name they prefer (e.g. "Little people").
Here's what Wikipedia says:
* The terms used to refer to Native Americans have been controversial. According to a 1995 U.S. Census Bureau set of home interviews, most of the respondents with an expressed preference refer to themselves as "American Indians" or simply "Indians"; this term has been adopted by major newspapers and some academic groups
I see a lot of people saying "indian" and "non-indian" in this thread. As someone with native american heritage (but not from the USA) I always cringe when I see these terms. Calling native americans "Indian" was a missunderstanding that, for some reason, europeans didn't care enough to rectify for centuries. Next time you're using it, please think about this and go for native american instead :D (or something equivalent!)
I'd encourage you to re-read what I wrote, because I've very intentionally avoided telling anyone what they can call themselves.
Part of this whole respecting preferences is that individual terms have to be treated separately. "Indian" is different than "American Indian" which is again different from "Indian country" or "Indian law". Someone may dislike some or most of these without necessarily disliking the others. The ones with specific technical meanings we're unfortunately stuck with in context.
Another popular example of this sort of issue is "Navajo" itself, as many would prefer to be called Diné or some derivative thereof.
"every native person whom I have met (I think without exception) has used 'Indian' rather than 'Native American'."
I grew up in Nebraska and I went to primary school with a number of Native Americans. It was considered very disrespectful to refer to them as Indians.
The Native Americans I grew up with would not put up with people calling them indians, engens, or anything similar. If you really want to respect a native (a real one, not just one with native ancestors) then don't stereotype them by calling them anything other than their actual name.
If you must refer to them by race you call them by the name which they give you which is going to be their tribe name and not some 500 year old archaic misunderstanding of the people on earth. Or if you want to be safe you can always call them natives, because the definition actual fits.
Yes, that is the whole point (and it is why I edited to add the parenthetical at the end). My claim was based on books and lectures on the experience of Native Americans. If a person prefers to be called (or their people called) a certain way, of course I would respect their preference.
Totally. If I ask the "correct" way to refer to a minority, I'll get a casual answer. If I ask for the "politically correct" term, everyone will know that I mean something annoying, self-censoring, fake and constructed for ideological reasons. Politically correct is almost an antonym of correct, similar to the term malicious compliance.
If this study had asked, "Is calling people Native American a problem in our society", somehow I doubt anyone would have said yes.
Maybe you are sarcastic or maybe you are trying to make a point in a light-hearted way, but while the word has plenty of history, "American Indian" is not a term particularly frowned upon. The museum in DC is called that way, and plenty of tribes prefer to have ownership over the term instead of it being unilaterally changed. I personally use the two interchangeably (which would probably make *someone* uncomfortable because of some connotation, and I will just be respectful and talk with that person).
As an old white american guy, when I read the headline my first thought was Indian = Native American and was thinking it was somehow related to casino resort hotels on reservations but it still wasn't making sense.
On your latter point, absolutely. And the people who make make the biggest effort to categorize people into hyphenated-Americans are the very ones who turn around and accuse people of being some-kinda-phobic or some-sorta-ist if they don't see the world that way.
"American Indian" is the term used by the US government on the census form, so it likely is used in many other surveys that use a similar format. (I don't know how broadly it is seen as an offensive or incorrect term.)
I can see how using media fabrications around the subject of native Americans (e.g. their portrayal in cinema or cartoons) is impolite. But, how is it impolite to use their words or names as names for something unrelated? I'm not from US, so I might be missing something cultural.
reply