Title: Native American vs. American Indian: Which Is Preferred?
Headings: ‘Native American’ or ‘American Indian’? How to Talk About Indigenous People of America
‘Native American’ or ‘American Indian’? How to Talk About Indigenous People of America
Where these terms originated
Which should you use?
What about ‘Alaska Native’?
Can I just say ‘Indigenous’?
What about tribe names?
How to talk about it
If someone corrects you
Terms to avoid
The bottom line

Content: Perhaps you learned to say “Native American” in elementary school and stuck with it until college, when a class on American Indian literature led you to rethink the terminology. Maybe you have a friend who uses “American Indian” and a co-worker who describes themselves as “Native American.” This inconsistency might leave you confused, wondering how to best avoid giving offense. Should you use “American Indian”? Is “Native American” still the best term? Or does “Indigenous” offer the most respect? The truth is, there’s no right answer that applies to every situation. Read on to learn why and get more insight on how to proceed with consideration and respect. Where these terms originated
Before getting into whether one term is better than the other, let’s recap some history to help explain where these terms came from. You most likely heard a sanitized version of the Columbus story in elementary school.