Native Americans (Farmington, Gallup, Grants: living in, vs, racism)

[Dobelover]

Do most Native Americans in NM live amongst the Hispanic and Anglo population or on reservations? I read that there is some tension between Natives and other groups is this only among certain tribes or in certain regions? Someone commented that it was difficult teaching on a reservation because of the racism coming from students and the hopelessness of life on the reservations. Do you feel its better for Native Americans to live off of these reservations? Are some reservations better than others? I am just really ignorant about this subject.

[jaxart]

Originally Posted by Dobelover

Do most Native Americans in NM live amongst the Hispanic and Anglo population or on reservations?

I don't have any answers for you, but you might like to reconsider your use of the term "Native American." I am a native American and a white anglo. There are many native Americans as well amongst hispanics (and other ethnic groups).

The term preferred by a majority is American Indian if you must make distinctions along racial and ethnic lines. Example: The recently opened National Museum of the American Indian in D.C. is not the Museum of the Native American.

[loborick]

Originally Posted by jaxart

I don't have any answers for you, but you might like to reconsider your use of the term "Native American." I am a native American and a white anglo. There are many native Americans as well amongst hispanics (and other ethnic groups).

The term preferred by a majority is American Indian if you must make distinctions along racial and ethnic lines. Example: The recently opened National Museum of the American Indian in D.C. is not the Museum of the Native American.

I know many Native Americans, and that is the term most of them prefer. They were native to the Americans a long time before anglos or anyone else came.

[Dobelover]

Originally Posted by jaxart

I don't have any answers for you, but you might like to reconsider your use of the term "Native American." I am a native American and a white anglo. There are many native Americans as well amongst hispanics (and other ethnic groups).

The term preferred by a majority is American Indian if you must make distinctions along racial and ethnic lines. Example: The recently opened National Museum of the American Indian in D.C. is not the Museum of the Native American.

By your logic I am native american as well, born and raised here. Most people refer to "American Indians" as Native Americans, at least the so called "politically correct" do. Why do I have this funny feeling that if I wrote "American Indian" instead, I would have been picked on as well? Why is everyone so petty?

[JDTH]

My wife is a Native American Indian of the Tohono O'odham Nation in Arizona. They do prefer to be called Native Americans and not American Indians or Native American Indians. Most of her people do live on the reservation and are not well educated. She is an exception. There are many other educated members, but the majority are not well educated.

[desert sun]

Originally Posted by Dobelover

By your logic I am native american as well, born and raised here. Most people refer to "American Indians" as Native Americans, at least the so called "politically correct" do. Why do I have this funny feeling that if I wrote "American Indian" instead, I would have been picked on as well? Why is everyone so petty?

everyone always has something to complain about, anyways I use to live in the four corners region and the indians there called themselves Natives as in Native Americans, I've never heard the word American Indian used before.

anyways after living in Farmington and making friends with Navajos and working with them I learned a little about them. They dont like people to marry outside of their race and I noticed that everyone had something negative to say about them. Everyone stuck to their own races their, the hispanics stayed with hispanics and the same with the natives and whites.
Most live on the rez but there are some who live in Farmington and Bloomfield.

There have been racial tensions dating back decades in the Farmington area, people would pick up natives and beat the crap out of them, its happend in Grants and Gallup too. Ive also heard some horrible stories of what people have done to them.

[jaxart]

Originally Posted by Dobelover

Why do I have this funny feeling that if I wrote "American Indian" instead, I would have been picked on as well? Why is everyone so petty?

I'm sorry you feel picked on. You've been trolling in numerous threads on these forums - all of your OPs having something to do with racial relations. I and others have mentioned that you're motives for doing so are highly suspect. You want to foment debate, then be willing to take flak from those with strong opinions.

As for the debate on American Indian vs Native American, I refer readers to this web site of the American Indian Movement:

AIM WEB SITE

Also refer to this web site for a lengthy discussion of the terms:

Native American Name Controversy

Many of those involved prefer Indian or American Indian to Native Americans.[17] Charles C. Mann noted in his 2005 book 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus that "every native person whom I have met (I think without exception) has used 'Indian' rather than 'Native American'."[16] Russell Means, an activist in the American Indian Movement, said in 1998, "I abhor the term Native American...I prefer the term American Indian because I know its origins."[3][16]

The term American Indian is often shortened to Indian when the context allows, e.g. in the name of the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs.

[angelbug]

There ARE no "native" Americans. We ALL came here from somewhere else, it's just that some came from Asia before others came from Europe and Africa.

[rickers]

I'm just an old white boy and I lived on a reservation in Montana for over 10 years. I now live next to another reservation here in Montana and all my Indian friends as well as Indians I don't know very well all seem to call themselves "Indians" and that's what they seem to want to be called by other folks. I have a feeling that it's the same way in New Mexico.

[desert sun]

Originally Posted by jaxart

I'm sorry you feel picked on. You've been trolling in numerous threads on these forums - all of your OPs having something to do with racial relations. I and others have mentioned that you're motives for doing so are highly suspect. You want to foment debate, then be willing to take flak from those with strong opinions.

As for the debate on American Indian vs Native American, I refer readers to this web site of the American Indian Movement:

AIM WEB SITE

Also refer to this web site for a lengthy discussion of the terms:

Native American Name Controversy

well maybe all the Navajos will read the link you posted and then they will change what they call themseves.