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I think of native American Indians when I hear the word "Indian". Of course I grew up and have lived most of my life in the west, where many native Americans still live. And I hate to admit it, but when I hear the word "Indian", frankly I think of casinos. Native American casinos have been very good to many tribal organizations. In my area, a very small, poor town has been revived, entirely on casino revenue.
I used to think native Americans. But, realistically, how many do we really know.
In the last 10 or 15 years, I automatically think of people from India...and their technical brains, their great accents, and their food that will make me keel over just by smelling it...
I think of Native Americans first before I think of Asian Indians when I hear the word Indian. I haven't met many real Native Americans but I wish I could because I admire much of their culture and think they did a lot of things right. It is unfortunate because much of the media and the US government/military like the Navy Seals degrade them, like when they compare Osama Bin Laden to Geronimo (a Native Hero for the Apache who bravely fought to protect his people from the US Army). One thing I noticed is that at least some of the media portray Native Americans in some sort of beneficial way if not 100% positive, like the movie Avatar and the video game now Assassins Creed 3 in some respect, maybe even the books/movie Twilight. I think that the media in general has been more open to seeing Native Americans featured, in both negative and positive (or semi-positive) ways, so that is why Indians who are Native Americans are starting to get more recognition as well as 2012 which is based on the Mayan calender are in some way reminding people too.
I hear Indians here in Minnesota refer to themselves as "Indian people" more often than native people or native American. They refer to the parts of the state where the reservations are as "Indian Country".
This is still true in New Mexico with people over 50 or so. Most of the younger folks call themselves "Native" without the 'American'.
I definitely think of Natives when I hear the word "Indian." There are a lot of Natives in the Northwest still and some of my good friends are Native. Also how some older African-Americans prefer the term "Negro" to identify themselves, I have met Native people who prefer the term "Indian." One fellow I met even went on a rant about how he's "not Native American"--he's "an INDIAN! An American Indian. And proud."
I think some of the direction signs for the Daybreak Star Cultural Center here in Seattle just say "Indian Cultural Center." Most people I know who refer to the Rez as anything else refer to it as an "Indian Reservation."
So while I refer to my ancestors (I'm blood, but not culturally Native) as "Native" or "Native American," and most of my friends refer to themselves as "Native," I still associate the word "Indian" with Native American rather than with Asian Indian.
Location: Jefferson City 4 days a week, St. Louis 3 days a week
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Christopher Columbus is the reason we have this problem today. He believed he'd landed in India when he arrived at the West Indies and mistook native americans as "Indians." We've had this problem ever since.
Christopher Columbus is the reason we have this problem today. He believed he'd landed in India when he arrived at the West Indies and mistook native americans as "Indians." We've had this problem ever since.
Here's what the history books have never been very clear on. Did Columbus think he landed in India or just the Indies (i.e. Southeast Asia, the islands of Malaysia/Indonesia/etc)?
Indians are a minority group in the US. (Indians = Indians from India) The Indians are a minority group in the US. (Indians = Native Americans)
I've always heard Native Americans when referenced as "Indians" to have a definite article. Then again, they're never really brought up where I live, since all over the Northeast it's almost guaranteed that "Indian" contextually refers to people from India.
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