3 ms·

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 se

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!)

luigibosco 5y ago
'native american' has always seemed off to me given that native people may or may not identify as "american" and america was thrust upon them. When referring to a group i generally use tribal name, "native", indigenous or "native people in america" (when needing to refer to a general world location)
wnscooke 5y ago
The best would be to learn the nation’s name. And then use that. In English I guess; in their own tongue would be cool. It’s like if I want to talk about Germany, or Luxembourg, but only and always use the term European. But because most (?) know there are actual specific nations in Europe, we use those names. Sadly, that knowledge is still lacking in North America amongst the non-First Nations peoples.
boomboomsubban 5y ago
From the various "natives" I've talked to, calling them "Americans" is roughly as offensive as calling them "Indians." It's giving them the name of their conquerors. I personally like Canada's term "First Nations," but I'm aware that US tribes have not opted for that name either. I tend to use the term others are using, in this case I was thinking of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, unless it's obviously being used derogatorily. I probably should have said non-native though.
adamrezich 5y ago
here in South Dakota at least, much of the native population identifies with the term "indian" or "American Indian." as an example: they have a BLM-esque organization that seems to be gaining support called the "N.D.N. Collective." I always thought it was weird growing up

luigibosco 5y ago

'native american' has always seemed off to me given that native people may or may not identify as "american" and america was thrust upon them. When referring to a group i generally use tribal name, "native", indigenous or "native people in america" (when needing to refer to a general world location)

wnscooke 5y ago

The best would be to learn the nation’s name. And then use that. In English I guess; in their own tongue would be cool. It’s like if I want to talk about Germany, or Luxembourg, but only and always use the term European. But because most (?) know there are actual specific nations in Europe, we use those names. Sadly, that knowledge is still lacking in North America amongst the non-First Nations peoples.

boomboomsubban 5y ago

From the various "natives" I've talked to, calling them "Americans" is roughly as offensive as calling them "Indians." It's giving them the name of their conquerors. I personally like Canada's term "First Nations," but I'm aware that US tribes have not opted for that name either. I tend to use the term others are using, in this case I was thinking of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, unless it's obviously being used derogatorily. I probably should have said non-native though.

adamrezich 5y ago

here in South Dakota at least, much of the native population identifies with the term "indian" or "American Indian." as an example: they have a BLM-esque organization that seems to be gaining support called the "N.D.N. Collective." I always thought it was weird growing up