Native American Name Controversy - Salient Issues Affecting The Debate

Salient Issues Affecting The Debate

• Sentimental attachment to a previous name (example: "Indian" is a name which many elders have known all their lives, and their families may continue to use the familiar term);
• Rejection of a word perceived as quaint or pejorative (example: "Eskimo");
• Rejection of names used by outsiders and not the individual Tribe or Indian people at large (example: "Nez Perce" is a French phrase; "Native American" was coined by the US government);
• Perception that a name is inherently racist, or has over time acquired racist overtones;
• Rejection of names assigned by an occupying and oppressive colonial government or expedition;
• Belief that a name is too inclusive or not inclusive enough of all indigenous people, so does not effectively convey the group intended (example: "Aboriginal" has become associated with Australian Aborigines given its wide use on that continent; the UN uses "Indigenous" to refer to all tribal peoples around the world (as their representatives chose to be identified); "Native American" in general use has not applied to indigenous peoples within Canada or Mexico);
• Reluctance of members of individual Indian Nations to be referred to by a collective, racial name;
• Belief that a universal/collective name suggests, inaccurately, that the indigenous cultures referred to are homogenous, monolithic bodies, rather than the widely varied separate nations that they actually are.