Re: American Indian/Indian American/Native American

Kerry Miller (astingsh@ksuvm.ksu.edu)
Sun, 15 Dec 1991 19:32:00 CST


Dana Numkena said,
> I sort of feel that indians/natives/aboriginal people in the
> States should be termed by one name.

Gary suggested using,
> "American Indian" to refer to natives of the "lower 48" states,
> reserving "Native American" as a more inclusive term, to refer to
> the indigenous people of all fifty states, including Natives of
> Alaska and Hawaii.

[ Actually, I was repeating a definition I heard at a recent conference
--Gary ]

If the USSR can reconstitute itself, maybe the time is ripe for the
Indian Nations to form a Commonwealth too, and declare an official
name change. Not only is there an opportunity to eliminate the
ambiguity of "Indian," but the parochialism of "American" (= U.S.A.)
as well.

|{hm kerry miller <ASTINGSH@KSUVM.BITNET> fido 1:14/680