Definition of American Indian

[WhoMe]

I constantly see debate on what makes a person Native and who is an Indian.

To start with, the United States government has their defintion.

The states have their definition.

Each tribe has its own criteria on who is and isn't a member of their tribe.

Scholars in history, anthropology, linguistics and ethnology have their opinions.

Some cultural enthusiasts (aka. hobbyists) have taken a stab at it.

Some Indians even try to out Indian each other! *L

I've seen some full bloods that are brown for nuthin! They never hang out with other Indians and act ashamed (Except when it comes to receiving benefits) *L

I've seen some not so full bloods with plenty of cultural knowledge of their community and tribe.

Some people have only heard family stories that they have Indian ancestors. So they want to have this connection.

Indians from India contend they are the real Indians. Some Natives agree and would rather be called Native American.

Some Indians don't like to be called Native American or Indian and are proud of their individual tribe(s).





WHAT IS AN iNDIAN?????

[comanche-woman]

Personally,,,,, I'm Native American from the Comanche Nation of Oklahoma..

[Grits & Beans]

indians are the people with the red bandanas that occupied alcatraz and wounded knee back in the 70's indians are the people here in minneapolis that got the liquor store that happened to be right next to the a.i.s. halfway house tore down back in 92. we could use more of them!

[farmer ned]

here we go:

You know you're an indian if you ever used a bread tie for a hair tie, or if you ever woke up in a van full of indians off the interstate on a Tuesday morning with your evelope full of winnings half gone, and spent the rest for breakfast.

[WhoMe]

"Indian" is actually a legal law term used when dealing with the United States on a government-to-government basis.

"Indian" is also used as a title by many prominent national Native organizations such as:

National Congress of American Indians
National Indian Education Association
Bureau of Indian Affairs
Indian Health Service
National Indian Gaming Association
National Museum of the American Indian
National Indian Health Board
National Indian Youth Council
National Indian Justice Center
National Indian Get Up And Go To Work Society (I just made this one up).

[neling4]

I thought to be "Indian", you had to have an ancestor's name on the rolls and a C.D.I.B. card?

[IlnuSoldier]

I'm not Indian, I'm Ilnu.

C.D.I.B. cards are for suckers. That means your letting the whites determine your race. Why the f*** would you allow them such power?

Same old question of autonomy.... do you eat out of the white's hands, choosing which finger to lick and calling such choice "autonomy"...

..or..

.. do get your own food and call that "autonomy" ?

Do you live under our white parents ? If so, then are we behaving as good children, or are we acting like spoiled little teenager brats who want all their freedom but place all the resonsibility (and blame) on our parents?
Are we NDNs nothing but spoiled little teenagers ?
If we want to live under white father's roof, we better respect him and live by his rules.
If we don't, we better move out of his house and start paying our own bills.

So..yea.. what is an "indian" and who decides who is an indian or not ?

Same old debate from hundreds of years ago..

What is "an indian" and who is making or breaking the definition ?

There is no answer to this question.. because there is no such thing as "An Indian".

"Indian" is a concept.. an idea... a broad category that is a blanket placed over numerous people and organizations..

Everytime this blanket is taken out to be flapped to knock the dust off, it is brought back in but it never lands in the same place twice.

We gotta accept that "Indian" is a daydream.. a fiction.

We have to go back to our "tribes" and we will find our strength in being our aboriginal nations... not "indians" or "natives" or whatever...

If your Dine.. then you are Dine. If your lakota.. Your Lakota... If your Ilnu, then your Ilnu..

"Indian" is a white creation and let it die with their extinction agenda.

[WhiteWolf89]

I'm an Indian of the ________ tribe.


I don't know my real tribe, and may never know it.


This is a stupid question, but can I be "adopted" into a tribe? Since my tribe is unknown, would it be possible if I can be adopted into a tribe and that I can call my own?

[Ras Redbone]

Being Native American Isn't Just About Blood & Darkness of Skin, It's A Spiritual Way of Life!
Blood Quantum is of importance however, there are some ppl of the so called "Rainbow Tribe" or "wannabe's" who know more about Native American History then some ppl with an ancestors name on the roll and a C.D.I.B. card!
It's just like there are many illegal immigrants in the US of A who actually know the History of this Nation compared to uncountable born & raised "Americans" who either don't have a glue or just don't care!

So hopefully you know who you are based on your heritage... don't let the Babylonian system of "Politricks" & corruption dicdate, what's the definition of an Indigenous Native American...
You are, who you are... it's all about your heart and remember - The Creator does not judge! Mitakuye Oyasin... "We are all related" - Aho

I constantly see debate on what makes a person Native and who is an Indian.

To start with, the United States government has their defintion.

The states have their definition.

Each tribe has its own criteria on who is and isn't a member of their tribe.

Scholars in history, anthropology, linguistics and ethnology have their opinions.

Some cultural enthusiasts (aka. hobbyists) have taken a stab at it.

Some Indians even try to out Indian each other! *L

I've seen some full bloods that are brown for nuthin! They never hang out with other Indians and act ashamed (Except when it comes to receiving benefits) *L

I've seen some not so full bloods with plenty of cultural knowledge of their community and tribe.

Some people have only heard family stories that they have Indian ancestors. So they want to have this connection.

Indians from India contend they are the real Indians. Some Natives agree and would rather be called Native American.

Some Indians don't like to be called Native American or Indian and are proud of their individual tribe(s).





WHAT IS AN iNDIAN?????

[deb_one_feather]

to be native american

i appear "white" to most, but my parents both have native american heritage from separate tribes. i was not raised near other indians or on a reservation, but in my heart, i know who i am. no title, no label, or government can define me. i know asians who like the term "indian". i know white americans who like the "style" of my heritage. but no one can change who i am. it is not a question of what does it mean to be indian, but rather who. we each know who we are. they can take everything from us, but that.

[injunboy]

im ojibwe and dine, but for the outiside world who dont know nada, i started to tag INJUN in small places like the back of my running shoes or under the bill of my cap and so on. jus in case they got snooty the last thing theyd see was INJUN blazin past them in a race or outthinkin them.. i would never ever think about puttin it front and center on a Tshirt cause thats not what it was about. it was mostly this super-psycho mental thing i was after.

[injunboy]

i appear "white" to most, but my parents both have native american heritage from separate tribes. i was not raised near other indians or on a reservation, but in my heart, i know who i am. no title, no label, or government can define me. i know asians who like the term "indian". i know white americans who like the "style" of my heritage. but no one can change who i am. it is not a question of what does it mean to be indian, but rather who. we each know who we are. they can take everything from us, but that.

look at you Post number 1, congrats and welcome to the place.

[WhoMe]

I deal with the public every day, whether it be by email, phone, letter or person-to-person.

One frequently asked question (FAQ) that i am asked is "do you prefer to be called Indian or Native American."

My answer is, "I would prefer to be associated with the tribes I am a part of as do most Natives. Acceptance of being called Native American or Indian is a generational thing."

[injunboy]

ive had to pencil mark the box 'other' before haha, sometimes on a form theyll list alaska natives separate and hawaiians separate.

[50cal]

I am Dine. Born for the Water comes together People, Born to the Bitterwater, my Chei's are Yucca Fruit Clan and my Nali's are Zuni Waters Edge. That's who I am.Nothing more and Nothing less. Oh and I'm a US MARINE.