INDIAN vs NATIVE AMERICAN

[Beverly Flanigan]

At 12:51 PM 1/9/01 -0500, you wrote:
>In a message dated 12/14/2000 12:48:35 AM, LanceDM at MISSOURI.EDU writes:
>
><< "Indian" is definitely unPC and is now avoided. >>
>
>well, this is of some controversy among the folks themselves, as I undrstand
>it: some folks prefer "Indian" and think of "Native American" as a bit of PC
>jargon created by patronizing white folks.

My impression agrees with Ron's:  Even in the early '80s, when I was doing
research on the Pine Ridge and Rosebud reservations, natives called
themselves "Indian" and smiled at whites' use of N.A. (I don't think the
term PC was around yet, but I knew what they were implying).  After all,
one said, "Indian" has been used for 500 years in both English and Spanish
forms, so we might as well accept it.  However, it is definitely unPC among
whites, to the point where I'm frowned at by my students if I use "Indian."

_____________________________________________
Beverly Olson Flanigan         Department of Linguistics
Ohio University                     Athens, OH  45701
Ph.: (740) 593-4568              Fax: (740) 593-2967
http://www.cats.ohiou.edu/linguistics/dept/flanigan.htm