Terms that are acceptable and non-acceptable to call North American Indigenous people
Hello everyone, I was recently asked to put together a list of acceptable and non-acceptable terms for outsiders to refer to North American Indigenous people. However, this list is subject to change and not all North American Indigenous people are comfortable getting called some of the terms listed. (For example, some argue that the term ‘Indigenous’ is not a good term for us. This is perfectly valid and if the individual(s) in question demand you call them something else, please respect their wishes.)
As for who we are, we are many hundreds of different cultural groups who reside in the areas now known as North America (Canada, the United States, Mexico and a bit beyond these areas.) We are people with rich and beautiful cultures as diverse as any other ethnic group you come across. However, upon first contact with the European settlers, many things went wrong and we were killed in huge numbers either through their hands or by disease. Despite all that, we are flourishing people who are relearning our languages and traditions and fighting hard as ever against colonialism and other such problems presented to us.
Without further ado, here is the list!
Native Americans *this term is mostly used in the United States though. In Canada, they mostly use the term First Nations instead.
North American Indigenous people/Aboriginals/Natives
Aboriginals/Aboriginal people
First Nations *however it’s been brought to my attention that this term excludes the Métis and the Inuit, so please keep this in mind when discussing NA Indigenous people!
Inuit/Yupik *this is a more tricky term as Inuit excludes the Yupik people. I’ve also heard the term ‘Inupiat’ but I’m still not sure if that excludes the Yupik people. If anybody can provide a term that is inclusive to the Yupik people, please add a comment!
The actual name of the individual’s nation (Cree, Dene, Ojibwe, Lakota, etc.) *This should be pretty obvious, but always verify with the person you’re talking with to be sure what nation they are.
Half-breed/Half-blood and any other terms used to put down mixed race individuals
Berdache (has a connotation similar to the Spanish word ‘puto’)
Tonto (this also means ‘stupid’ in Spanish)
Cherokee princess *or any other kind of ‘Indian’ princess. We never had princesses in any of our societies!
Any name that is used to make fun of NA Indigenous names (ex. Sexy Wolf Hear-Me-Cry)
Savage and any other word that is used to mean ‘less advanced’, ‘primitive’ and the like.
Thank you! If you have any other questions or are interested in learning more about North American Indigenous people and our struggles, take a peek at reclaimingthenativetag!