By Native Sun News Today Editorial Board
nativesunnews.today
It seems that American Indians have gone through an evolution of name changes.
These days the most popular one seems to be “indigenous” or Native. Haven’t heard anyone say “Indigenous fry bread” yet. Or Indigenous tacos. The Laughing Water Restaurant at Crazy Horse Memorial had “Native American Tacps” on their menu. No kidding! Also haven’t seen any “Native tacos or Native Fry Bread.”
Well, let’s do a little more name changing. The National Congress of American Indigenous? The American Indigenous College Fund? Indigenous Health Service?
How about the Bureau of Indigenous Affairs? American Indigenous Art Institute anyone? American Indigenous Movement?
National Museum of the American Indigenous in Washington, D. C., St. Francis Indigenous School, Holy Rosary Indigenous Mission, Marty Indigenous School, Carlisle Indigenous School, and the list of schools with Indian in their titles goes on and on.
Good Morning! We definitely had a good work week here despite the snow day. Our latest publication is out! Go pick it...
Posted by Native Sun News Today on Friday, February 23, 2018
Did Sitting Bull say, “I was born indigenous and I will die indigenous.” Or, “I was born Native and I will die Native.” No, he said, “I was born Indian and I will die Indian.” Poor Sitting Bull had it all wrong.
As has been written in so many books of yore, “Lo the poor Indigenous.”
Well, it is apparent that the name “Native” is becoming more popular than ever. A local white owned newspaper called in several, now what do we call them, uh Natives, for an editorial discussion several years ago. The newspaper didn’t want to use the word “Indian” anymore because they had received numerous complaints. “Now what name should we use in our newspaper to describe you people,” the editor said. The popular choice of the indigenous people sitting in the office was “Native.” And so a white owned newspaper chose the name to replace the name Indian.
All of you who abhor the name “Indian” look up the name “Indios” because that’s where it came from. Dios in Spanish is God. The Spanish were the first to encounter the indigenous people of the Western Hemisphere. They called them Ninos in Dios or Indios, children of God. As that Spanish word moved to the Northern Hemisphere it was spoken as “Indian.” Others would say that the word was derived because Columbus thought he had discovered a passage to the Indies.
The next time any of us run into an elderly Native American just ask him or her “What is your nationality?” and they will almost always answer “Indian.”
The activist Russell Means said he always preferred American Indian over Native American because it clearly identified who you are, whereas anyone born in America is a Native American.
Remember the old movie where the explorers are sitting around the campfire and they hear the distant drums and one of them says, “The Natives are restless tonight.”
It gets complicated because one reads about a Native South Dakotan, or Native of Rapid City etc. Does that make then Native American or indigenous?
Former President of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, Wilbur Between Lodges once said, “It doesn’t matter what you call yourself or how you dress; Because being Indian is about what is in your heart.”
Contact the Editorial Board of Native Sun News Today at editor@nativesunnews.today
Copyright permission Native Sun News Today
Join the Conversation
