Re: American Indian/Indian American/Native American

Marc Becker (marc@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu)
Thu, 12 Dec 1991 20:12:00 CST

In Latin America, "indigenous" is a term that is more in vogue.
"Indio" (in Spanish) conotates dirty, savage, primitive, etc. Others
react against even terms such as "indigenous" because they are
fundamentally Euro-centric. More proper, perhaps, is the specific
names of specific groups and forgo the grand generalizations. The
Americas (another Euro-centric term!) have an incredible culturally
diversity, afterall.

Anthropologists often use the term Amerindian.

--
          Marc Becker
          University of Kansas
                marc@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu (Internet)
                mabecker@ukanvm.bitnet (Bitnet)