--- Gilbert Lawrence <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > In the USA, in the past we went by Asian Indians in > America. We were a unique group as other ethnic > groups were called Irish Americans and German > Americans etc. We called ourselves the above > because the title of American-Indians was taken and > we did not want to be confused with any other > groups. > Mario replies: Gilbert, it's not that WE decided to go as Asian-Indians. This was the name the US Census Bureau gave the community in 1980. > Gilbert writes: > NOW the American-Indian terminology is NOT > politically correct. It was a left-over of > Christopher Columbus thinking that America was > India. The American-Indians are correctly called > TODAY as Native Americans. > Mario replies: This is false. The term "American Indian" is as acceptable as "Native American" to members of that community. To see what the Smithsonian Institue has to say, click on http://www.si.edu/history_and_culture/american_indian/
Their biggest organization is called the American Indian Movement. See http://www.aimovement.org/ > Gilbert continues: > So too the young generation of Asian-Indians are > more comfortable calling themselves as "Indian > Americans" in keeping with other groups, and as they > have less of an emotional link with Asia compared to > their parents. So I hope we stop calling ourselves > and dissuade others from calling us "East Indians" > or "West Indians" etc. etc. > Mario replies: The term Indian American fits with the usage of other American ethnicities as a descriptive term among the politically correct fringe, like African American, Irish American, Polish American, etc. However, the proper usage is to call all of us simply Americans.
