There has been a story floating around in academia for
some time about an anthropology professor somewhere whose
tenure was revoked for using the term "Indian" in classes
rather than "Native American." Can anybody either verify
or refute this tale?
I am glad to hear Jim Craven reinforce what I have
always understood from my (Native American) Indian friends
regarding their own attitudes about these terms. Of course
most Indians prefer to be identified by their tribes, to
the extent that they have a distinct tribal identity. Even
accepting the generic term, "Indian" is a relatively recent
development and one that only really came with urbanized,
often college-educated, Indians, most notably with the
American Indian Movement (AIM) a few decades ago.
Barkley Rosser
On Sun, 8 Mar 1998 11:21:41 PST8PDT James Michael Craven
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> > Date sent: Sat, 7 Mar 1998 00:06:31 +0800
> > Send reply to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> > From: "Anthony D'costa" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> > To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> > Subject: Re: Action Alert
>
> > Does non-Indian world imply India? This is not a matter of semantics but
> > given the varying positions on pen-l on "post modernity" what does it imply
> > when you use labels that are carry-overs from the colonial past? What does
> > it mean for national identities, are native Americans (a problematic term
> > too) agree to being called Indians? Has there been a movement to change
> > the "label"? Should there be?
> >
> > Many questions with few answers.
> >
> > Anthony D'Costa
> > in Bangalore, India
> > (the next Microsoft destination?)
>
> The myth is that Columbus was looking for India and took a wrong turn
> and winding up in the Americas called the indigenous people "Indians"
> thinking that he had hit India. First of all, the area now known as
> "India" has referred to as "Hindustan" in the 15th century and was a
> collection of separate Kingdoms. Secondly the Spanish also called the
> native Filipinos "Los Indios" and they didn't think the area of the
> present Philippines was also "India".
>
> The name Indian, was a bastardization of "en Dio" as Columbus
> referred to indigenous people as "una hiente (or gente) en Dio" a
> people with God and noted that they were loving, gentle and giving
> and would be easy to conquer, take advantage of and turn into slaves
> (Columbus Diary). The generic "Native American" is rarely used by
> Indians as there is a feeling that it is a generic title imposed by
> solictous outsiders.
>
> Many people in India, when speaking to outsiders will use the term
> "East Indian" to differentiate from American Indians or people from
> the Caribbean of East Indian descent.
>
> Jim Craven
>
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--
Rosser Jr, John Barkley
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