Title: Native Americans - What did they call themselves? [Archive] - Straight Dope Message Board
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Content: Here Native Americans refer to themselves as Indians. It is
nothing new. I am not aware of any Indian here being insulted
by being called a Native American but they don't seem to use
the term much themselves. On occasion a tribe name will be
used if there is a need to differentiate between tribes, as in
a Sioux speaking about the Cheyenne. Dogface
05-07-2003, 03:03 PM
Collectively, the Indians I've known refer to themselves as "Indians". They all consider "native American" to be part and parcel with "liberal whites who will wring their hands all day and not really do a damned thing to help". chula
05-07-2003, 04:30 PM
Now that you've had a chance to think about it, isn't it pretty obvious, welby? Indians called themselves "people." There would be no need for a word that differenciated them from people from other continents, because they didn't know that there were people on other continents. light strand
05-07-2003, 04:43 PM
Wow Dogface, it's cool how you got to speak for all Indians, and get a gratuitous slam in on liberals too!