Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Living surrounded by Pueblo communities, I have been told that "Indian" is the preferred term by Pueblo people. Perhaps it is different in other parts of the country. We have dozens of "Indian" named places and resources. There is the Indian Health Service, Pueblo Indian Cultural Center, American Indian Movement, Indian Service roads, etc. Maybe someone needs to send out a memo.
This is because these places and resources all receive some degree of federal funding through the BIA, and "American Indian" is the formal term used in agreements, treaties, etc. by that entity. Because the federal government has a history of finding slippery ways to renege on agreements, there's concern among some that legally changing the names of these places and resources might have unintended negative consquences on funding.
As far as The Smithsonian's Museum of the American Indian, that name was formally established by Congress in the late 1980s. It was chosen because the Census Bureau and the BIA had traditionally used that term.
The term "Indian Country" is just another legal classification rooted in federal bureaucracy.
Those who are in doubt about whether "American Indian" or "Native American" is the appropriate term might want to consider simply using the applicable tribal name.
Last edited by Metlakatla; 07-23-2023 at 05:51 PM..
My latest cue was from the Smithsonian: if they name their museum the National Museum of the American Indian, that carries some weight for me, particularly when there’s a lot of content related to the hurt of American Indians.
Anyhow as I said, I’m 1/16th and I don’t consider myself Cherokee, so 1/32nd is a very hard sell.
For you.
The Eastern Band Cherokee would disagree...if you have a lineal descendant on the Baker Roll.
Wouldn't this make most Mexicans and other Central Americans 'American Indian' or 'Native American'? Or is it a requirement that the tribe in question resided in territory currently part of the United States?
Wouldn't this make most Mexicans and other Central Americans 'American Indian' or 'Native American'? Or is it a requirement that the tribe in question resided in territory currently part of the United States?
Each tribe set it's own requirements for membership. So, if one meets those qualifications they may become a tribal member.
Wouldn't this make most Mexicans and other Central Americans 'American Indian' or 'Native American'? Or is it a requirement that the tribe in question resided in territory currently part of the United States?
Good point- especially if you look at parts of the US that belonged to Mexico at one point or another. They claimed about 1/3 of the US in 1828.
The problem with "Indigenous American" is that Indians came from Eastern Asia and are genetically related to Asians- granted it was along time ago.
So the semantics don't add up too well.
A relative of mine (WASP) married a Mexican-German man from Mexico. Her first child looked like a darling little Eskimo baby when he was an infant. He's a gorgeous young man who can pass for White, Mexican, Italian, Greek, and Spaniard. Our collective DNA is a very complex and mystical thing.
The problem with "Indigenous American" is that Indians came from Eastern Asia and are genetically related to Asians- granted it was along time ago.
By that logic, we'd all be calling ourselves Africans.
Indigeous may not mean what you think it means. Loosely translated, all it means is the first homosapiens to inhabit certain parts of the globe prior to European colonization. You can read more about that here if you're interested:
The problem with "Indigenous American" is that Indians came from Eastern Asia and are genetically related to Asians- granted it was along time ago.
So the semantics don't add up too well.
Can you share some links on the story you tell about Indigenous Americans coming from Eastern Asia? I have never heard that and it sounds incorrect. And not all the natives in North America have the same genetic lineage. For example the Navajo in the southe west and the eskimos are related and have a history of their migration from the north sharing the athabaskan lineage.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
