Native Americans

[Beefalow and the Consumer]

Native American is the mainstream term, American Indian is the distant second place but I've heard many use that term for themselves (eg the American Indian Movement or AIM).  

I don't really see the term "Indian," as being completely incorrect, since in old European parlance, "India" was a generic term for all far-flung lands that were not China or Japan.

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This is urban myth (perpetuated by the likes of Miriam-Webster).  Eskimo does not mean "raw-meat-eater."  It actually means "snowshoe-netter."  But I think the myth has done enough damage that the actual people now do not like the term, and prefer their own tribal names.

[bejkuy]

My father-in-law married (2nd time) a full blooded Navajo woman and lives on the reservation with her.  

He told me the only term that was really offensive to them was the word, "squaw" (spelling?)

In my experience, I mix with indians frequently, most Indians are not too hung up on titles and refer to themselves as indians.

I'm sure there are regional differences though.

[Josh/Devilman88]

Well I know that the Native Americans in NC are Republicans...

election results from robeson county would indicate otherwise.

lumbees are half black half native american so therefore they are not full blooded native american

[Duke Fan]

I'm half Cherokee and I am a Republican.

[dazzleman]

My understanding is that unassimilated American Indians, who live on reservations, lean Democratic, as all unassimilated groups tend to do.

As far as American Indians who have intermarried and are living in regular society, I have no idea.  My guess is that they would be mixed between Democrats and Republicans, depending upon their economic circumstances, upbringing, etc.

As far as the term "Native American" goes, I am a native American and I don't have a drop of Indian blood in me (as far as I know).  I hate PC terms in general, and I particularly don't like this one because it implies that the presence of those of us who came here later is illegitimate.  In the US, you don't have to go back 600 years to be considered "native."  Hopefully, American Indians won't become like blacks in changing what they want to be called every 20 years, and branding anybody who uses what was a perfectly acceptable term the day before yesterday a racist.

[Platypus]

i'm not a native australian. I'm an anglo-celtic 'skip' Australian. Basically, my family has been here for three or more generation and came from europe. I have no aboriginal blood in me, and I don't know many people that do.

We don't really have the term "Native Australians" here. The Skips are skips, the other european immigrants are immigrants, or 'new australians', or the formerly-derogatory-now-not-dergatory term 'wogs'; asian immigrants are immigrants or 'asian immigrants' and the aboriginies are either aborigines or islanders, depending on where they are from, or for both grups, 'indigenous australians'

'indigenous americans' is the term most commonly used in the australian media when talking about american indians; 'idigenous alaskans' for eskimos and 'hawaiians' for hawaiians. I presume at least the last would be similar in the US :S

[Filuwaúrdjan]

I prefer the Canadian term: First Nations

[Platypus]

Thats a bit too 'airy' for me.


What was your...first nation? kinda sucks. Everyone's 'first nation' was somewhere in Southern Africa, anyway.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Thats a bit too 'airy' for me.


What was your...first nation? kinda sucks. Everyone's 'first nation' was somewhere in Southern Africa, anyway.

They were the First Nations in North America though.

[minionofmidas]

Well I know that the Native Americans in NC are Republicans...

They are highly concentrated in Robeson Co, which is heavily Democrat, so I'd rather doubt that, actually.

[minionofmidas]

Well I know that the Native Americans in NC are Republicans...

election results from robeson county would indicate otherwise.

lumbees are half black half native american so therefore they are not full blooded native american

From what I've seen on photos etc, most are probably above 50% White...
However, blood quantums do not make a man. They are usually considered Native Americans, including by the Bureau of the Census and by themselves, and anyways NC's Native American proportion declines rather rapidly if you count them out. I guess you were referring to the Eastern Cherokee then - don't know how they vote.

[minionofmidas]

And the circles on the map os page one are a bit incomplete.

[12th Doctor]

One thing I want to say, they don't like to be called Native American most would rather be called American Indians, or, AmerIndians.

P.S. "Native Americans" was a term invented by a bunch of high-tower PC white people and only a very small minority of tribal leaders embrace the term.

[??????????]

I call em Redskins...lol jk of course. I prefer just Indian..or American...either way ...

[Lunar]

Injun (spelling?) is the way to go.  Pronounce "engine" but the first vowel like in "it."

[KEmperor]

Injun (spelling?) is the way to go.  Pronounce "engine" but the first vowel like in "it."

Ok Tom Sawyer.

[minionofmidas]

As was rightly pointed out, most would prefer being called the name of their people, not some generic term like "Native American" or "Indian". (Or my own coinage "Indigenous American")