Why are American born citizens referred to their ancestors birth nation?

yagotme

Welcome to the club. Confused?

Try this one on:

I am referred to as "Native American" or "American Indian", both of which are semantically empty labels given to us by other people.

Sometimes I am referred to (also erroneously) as a "Sioux", which is an abbreviation of the French Canadian word NadoÃ¼essioÃ¼ak (a derogatory term, we are told)

People overseas often still refer to me as a "red indian", an out-dated term. The people of Canada call us the First Nations people or First Americans. We've been referred to as "Redskins" because of the once popular habit of collecting bloody skins--when there were bounties for them in battles. A lot of people don't know the root of this name.

By scientists we are now referred to as the indigenous people of North America or aboriginals. and sometimes lumped in with Eskimos and Aleuts or Alaskan Natives, although we are not from the same people. Alaskan Natives came over the Bering Strait I am told. Our people believe we have always been here and there is new evidence that we (and other native cultures) have been here a lot longer than the Bering Strait theory proposes.

But by my people, I am called a LakÈŸÃ³ta. Minneconjou, meaning "planter by the water".

I call myself by my Lakota name except when trying to be understood by the larger population...who don't know what a Lakota is . . . then I refer to myself as a "native" or American Indian. Some natives from different cultures call themselve NDNs or SKINS adopting the Indian title Christopher Columbus gave the first people he encountered in the islands of the Bahamas he called San Salvador (now the island of Cuba). He referred to the local Tainos people as Indios (later Indians) thinking he had reached the West Indies. We are told "Indios" means "people of God" and some of our people have taken to calling themselves that but I am told that Mexicans say it is a derogatory term in their language, the language of Spain. They say indigena is better. So far, the best name I have heard anywhere (apart from my own) is Amerind.

Unlike myself, my fiance is not full blood native. She is referred to by others as Metis, being of mixed ancestry with Shawnee Indian and European, so her set of identification problems to contend with sound similar to yours! I guess that makes you half (or whatever percentage) immigrant. It doesn't matter.

These are just labels. You know who you are. Refer to yourself however you like.

We are all related. Mitakuye Oyasin

David

these are current buzz words to delineate the "downtrodden" from the more fortunate people of the u.s. it,s trendy to be a "Minority". people of european descent don,t qualify for this .

George L

what you choose to do is up to you. what others choose to do is up to them. that's what America is all about. but, you are correct, any way you cut it, we are all American citizens.

'Taker

Gives the weak minded among us a feeling of belonging to a special group. And identity they lack in and of themselves.

T-Mex PENTA LOVING CLAIRE

Your ancestors stole and took land that didn't belong to them driving the true owners to reservations, you come from a long line of thieves, therefore you should also be tagged as an illegal alien.

Joel W

You are an immigrant until you do those citizenship tests, and at that point, you are a citizen. I don't know what you are asking, but the way English works is simple for all of us: you are an immigrant until you pass those citizenship tests.

Per the association with your heritage. The African Americans wanted us to call them a variety of names.. and one group did not agree with another.. there were very significant ethnic hostilities and people just began referring to a group of people who joined to make a statement by their heritage. Soo.. European Americans and so forth.

Paladin

I'm not, but that might be because my ancestors came from a lot of places

I do know that most Mexicans also have ancestors that could be described as "a long line of thieves". They didn't call them Conquistadores for nothing

Louis Riel

well, no, the country is the land of the natives.

Your ancestors were genocidal invaders and thieves. You can take pride in that, if you wish. Im sure some germans take pride in their ancestors being nazis.

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