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Should Native Americans be called Indians?

Should Native Americans be called Indians?

  • Total voters
    47
Amadeus

Amadeus

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The indigenous people of America were called Indians because a Columbus was a crappy navigator. Since Columbus also turned out to be a very bad man, does it make sense to compound insult with injury by continuing to mislabel Native Americans? Especially since true Indians -- from India -- have a better claim to the name.
 
Amadeus said:
The indigenous people of America were called Indians because a Columbus was a crappy navigator. Since Columbus also turned out to be a very bad man, does it make sense to compound insult with injury by continuing to mislabel Native Americans? Especially since true Indians -- from India -- have a better claim to the name.
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I voted Yes because I don't care and think it can be interchangeable.
 
To me, Indians is just outdated. Not insulting - but old.

If I refer to my kids and their heritage it's Native American.
 
I, for one, support the perpetuation of ignorance. Vote yes!
 
Amadeus said:
The indigenous people of America were called Indians because a Columbus was a crappy navigator. Since Columbus also turned out to be a very bad man, does it make sense to compound insult with injury by continuing to mislabel Native Americans? Especially since true Indians -- from India -- have a better claim to the name.
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My dad has roots in the Incan tribe.

He takes slight offense to the whole Indian shenanigans. I could honestly not give two ****ing ****s about it.
 
You're right, it may not be precise but either is Native American. Colonials of the northeast wrote that they believed them to be immigrants, possibly even European, and I don't think that's too far from wrong. They based this on the fact that the children were born as "white" as any European. The point is they are no more native than any other immigrant.
 
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betuadollar said:
You're right, it may not be precise but either is Native American. Colonials of the northeast wrote that they believed them to be immigrants, possibly even European, and I don't think that's too far from wrong. They based this on the fact that the children were born as "white" as any European. The point is they are no more native than any other immigrant.
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They were the first to settle this area so, yes, they get the "native" label. By your logic, nobody is native to anywhere except an area in the middle east where homo sapien first appeared.

They were never from India.
 
Deuce said:
They were the first to settle this area so, yes, they get the "native" label. By your logic, nobody is native to anywhere except an area in the middle east where homo sapien first appeared.

They were never from India.
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Actually we don't know for certain they were the original inhabitants. But they certainly weren't indigenous.

Having been born here, I am also a "native" of the US. So I am also a native American.
 
Amadeus said:
The indigenous people of America were called Indians because a Columbus was a crappy navigator. Since Columbus also turned out to be a very bad man, does it make sense to compound insult with injury by continuing to mislabel Native Americans? Especially since true Indians -- from India -- have a better claim to the name.
Click to expand...

It is their right to determine for themselves.
 
Amadeus said:
The indigenous people of America were called Indians because a Columbus was a crappy navigator. Since Columbus also turned out to be a very bad man, does it make sense to compound insult with injury by continuing to mislabel Native Americans? Especially since true Indians -- from India -- have a better claim to the name.
Click to expand...

By your logic they shouldn't be called native Americans either since they are only called that because Amerigo Vespucci was just as bad of a navigator as Columbus and claimed credit for land that was already discovered.
 
I will use whatever term the people I am speaking with want me to use. It isn't up to me.
 
Amadeus said:
The indigenous people of America were called Indians because a Columbus was a crappy navigator. Since Columbus also turned out to be a very bad man, does it make sense to compound insult with injury by continuing to mislabel Native Americans? Especially since true Indians -- from India -- have a better claim to the name.
Click to expand...

winners write history. they lost. but I don't think many of them want to be called Native American either. one of my athletes I coach is partially Cherokee. someone said what is he and he said "American"

not native American

Not Cherokee American

Not Indian

but American

works for me
 
Amadeus said:
History generally acknowledges that it wasn't a war, but a genocide.
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in other words, they lost big time. for the most part it was not genocide. but some actions (like Jeffrey Amherst's primordial Germ Warfare and some other bits of nastiness) approached it.
 
Amadeus said:
The indigenous people of America were called Indians because a Columbus was a crappy navigator. Since Columbus also turned out to be a very bad man, does it make sense to compound insult with injury by continuing to mislabel Native Americans? Especially since true Indians -- from India -- have a better claim to the name.
Click to expand...
Who still uses the term "indians"?

No one I know.
 
Should Native Americans be called Indians?
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probably not. that's up to Native Americans, though.
 
TurtleDude said:
in other words, they lost big time. for the most part it was not genocide. but some actions (like Jeffrey Amherst's primordial Germ Warfare and some other bits of nastiness) approached it.
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You forget the US government breaking pretty much every treaty with the Native American tribes and pushing them into reservations, whilst stealing their land, attempting to convert them to Christianity, etc.
 
It is more correct to use the term Native American although many will refer to themselves as Indians or use their tribe name. In the video below is a group singing in English using a traditional chant with drums and they call themselves "The Halfbreeds". How about that?

 
TurtleDude said:
winners write history. they lost. but I don't think many of them want to be called Native American either. one of my athletes I coach is partially Cherokee. someone said what is he and he said "American"

not native American

Not Cherokee American

Not Indian

but American

works for me
Click to expand...

As an Ironworker, I've worked with lots of natives. Did in the mines, too, but irrelevant to this point. Point is, I was in a camp room talking to a Native guy I hadn't seen for awhile- he'd been in New York working out of the Manhattan local, local 40 I think it is. We were talking about recent problems in a Mohawk rez in Quebec and I said that I was told that some of the problems came from American Natives in the same rez but across the border. He told me that I was looking at it wrong, that they didn't consider themselves Canadian or American, they were Mohawk. Makes sense to me. I mean, what's a treaty? It's an agreement between two nations, right? Or isn't there treaties in the US anymore?
And all my inlaws want to be called 'natives'. Okay with me.
 
countryboy said:
Actually, the majority of American Indians. :shrug: A great many hate the term "Native American", preferring the term American Indian. Better yet, call them by their specific tribe names.
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Interesting thought.

I never knew many preferred the term "American Indian".

The several I'd come to know have always used their tribal affiliation.
 
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