Serious, respectful question.

[needledriver]

I was just in an on-line discussion with Tom, who I had worked with for years. He was not all all pleased with my use of "First Americans":

That “american” moniker was an imposition on my ancestors (1924) and that “first american” appellation was also made up by white folx. Please wear “f.a.” with all the white pride you can muster!

When I asked what my friend Tom would prefer, another poster made a joke, but I replied:

It's a serious question. When I know what nation someone belongs to I am happy to refer to them as Navajo or Cherokee, etc. but when I need to collectively refer to the peoples who were present in North, Central, or South America when the Europeans arrived, what term do I use? I didn't realize that First Americans was a hot button - I apologize Tom - but what where does that leave me? "Indians" is a hard no, "American Indians" combines the worst of both choices, but "native" doesn't work either - whether our ancestors walked across a land bridge 35,000 years ago or off a gang plank in the 1900s, none of us are native to the Americas. There must be a general term which accurately and respectfully names the peoples who were present in North, Central, or South America when the Europeans arrived. What is it?

Tom replied:

“…There must be a general term which accurately and respectfully names the peoples who were present…”.
It’s a valid question if you’re a product of the so-called “western civilization”.
Reducing 500 distinct and separate tribes of this country currently called “america” has been a white-thing since First Contact and one that has been only beneficial to white people.
“Indians” is based in geographical ignorance and Taino skin color. The racist worldview of the European broad-brush carried this descriptor into so-called mexico, south america, canada and the american west.
The creation and usage of a general term for all “Indians” made it easier for racist colonists and settlers to “deal” with Native folk as “Others”. The phrase “merciless Indian savages” in the Declaration of Independence makes the continued land theft and genocide of Manifest Destiny much more palatable to a white supremacist audience.
Present day usage of “Indians”, “Native Americans” (Native folks didn’t ask for this…), “first americans” (america didn’t recognize Natives as citizens of the US until 1924), “Indian Country”, “r_dskins”, “braves”, “warriors”, ect. perpetuate Native otherness. No wonder it took almost 250 years to seat one of us in a Cabinet position.
“… none of us are native to the Americas…” is more convenient ahistorical racist bullshit.
The “settling” and “property ownership” of stolen land only took 250+ years for white people, who had guns and ammo. Past and present imagining of a pre-contact america that was void of people and with millions of acres of “empty, unused” land feeds the Manifest Destiny myth and lets white folx sleep easier at night.
The amount of cognitive dissonance required to ignore millenniums of prior and present Native habitation of this land is staggering.
So, what to “call” us? We are the Native People to this land, We are descended from the original inhabitants. We are the Indigenous People of this country currently called “america”. This has always been our homeland, it will always be.
If you require further specificity, utilize a political designation. Tribal nations such as Cherokee, Seminole, or Lakota are equivalent to “american”.
And how do you find out a person’s tribal connection and/or preference?:
Ask.

Tom's answer held more heat than light, and I am not trying to provoke anything, so I am walking away from that discussion. I notice the name of this Group is "First Americans", which brings me back to wondering - what is the general term which accurately and respectfully names the peoples who were present in North, Central, or South America when the Europeans arrived?

[Pantagruel]

1. "Indigenous People "

works for me.

[abqtommy]

8. I agree. That's the term I understand is most acceptable to our Indigeneous elders,

brothers and sisters.

[Cobalt Violet]

2. That is one of legacies of colonialism.

There isn't a term that is accurate and respectful to all.

[Srkdqltr]

3. First nations? Isn't that used in Canada?

[Haggard Celine]

4. My ex, who is an Indian from

a south Louisiana tribe, told me that he didn't like being called Native American, either. He also didn't like to be referred to as indigenous. He wanted to be called an Indian, and it seems that a lot of Natives refer to themselves as Indians and that's what they prefer to be called.

That guy doesn't speak for all Indians. Everybody is getting more political these days. Everything you say is parsed and searched for hidden slander. Different groups of Indians call themselves different things. This guy obviously doesn't like to be called a lot of different names, which is his right,but he's getting too bent out of shape about it. We can converse without getting angry, can't we?

[Blue Dawn]

6. I honestly don't have a clue....

....what general term could be used to describe the people who were in the Americas when the Europeans arrived. I have always used the term “Native Americans,” but reading your post makes me reconsider that.

I am wondering why “First Americans” is considered unacceptable. Tom doesn’t like that term at all and he explains why. Would he prefer the term “Indigenous People?”

I find your thread interesting and thought-provoking. I am a person who honestly does attempt to refer to ethnicities and races by the terms they actually prefer, so now I am wondering if the term “Native American” seems offensive to the tribes (I did not realize there were 500 distinct tribes!)

Do you have any other thoughts you would like to share about this topic? I’m now very curious. I honestly do not know what tribes prefer as a collective term. I understand that each tribe would prefer to be referred to by their specific tribal name, such as Cherokee, etc.

I think I will do some research on this topic. I really appreciate your thread, needledriver.



(Please forgive me if I am not characterizing your conversation correctly. I am really seriously interested in what you were saying to Tom.)

[needledriver]

9. You understood correctly!

"Indigenous " feels condescending to me; a "colonizer" term.

Tom prefers "Native People", although "native" can still carry with it the hint of condescension. "First Nations" would work for me, but the whole point is it's not my choice!

I am, as you "a person who honestly does attempt to refer to ethnicities and races by the terms they actually prefer", and in a world where it is perfectly polite to refer to "Europeans" if you don't know exactly which country someone comes from (hard core Brexit voter excepted), there should be a polite and respectful self chosen term for what I grew up calling American Indians.

[Blue Dawn]

10. I am so glad I didn't mischaracterize the conversation!

I agree with your last sentence. There really should be a polite and respectful term for what we grew up calling American Indians.

Thank you!

[cyclonefence]

7. I think Tom gave you the answer

The amount of cognitive dissonance required to ignore millenniums of prior and present Native habitation of this land is staggering.
So, what to “call” us? We are the Native People to this land, We are descended from the original inhabitants. We are the Indigenous People of this country currently called “america”. This has always been our homeland, it will always be.
If you require further specificity, utilize a political designation. Tribal nations such as Cherokee, Seminole, or Lakota are equivalent to “american”.
And how do you find out a person’s tribal connection and/or preference?:
Ask.
------------

If it is relevant to refer to which tribe the person you're talking about comes from, use that designation. If you don't know which tribe, ask..If the tribal affiliation has nothing to do with what you are saying, then the correct appellation is "American."

My friend Kerry's parents came from Korea. People always were asking her where she was from (she answered, truthfully, "Chicago.) But when she told people her parents were Korean, there was no further reference to her origins. The questioners just wanted to know. Why it mattered remained a mystery to Kerry, and to me, too.

[cachukis]

11. When you ask someone from Texas where? they generally respond, from the small town where they were

born. When you ask someone from the vicinity of New York, they say New York, implying the metropolis. Culture matters. The inquiry matters. The conversation, ultimately, is personal. Where it goes from the initial bump is what changes the conversation. London is not England. Boston is not New England nor even Boston, for that matter. Southie is Southie, the North End is a world apart. Africa, fer cripes sakes, is a continent.
Categorizing, stereotyping; shortcuts will be the norm. Individually, most people are really good. Put them together with an element such as fear, and you have another story. They write books about this stuff. We are all in this together. How about resolving, together.