I'm going to anger some people but here I go anyway. I don't like being called indigenous just call me native american.

I respect how you feel personally about the term, and I can understand why; but unfortunately it is such objections that are warping the language and making it very hard to avoid upsetting anyone.

[i]Every[/i] continent, barring Antarctica, has indigenous, native and possibly, aboriginal, populations.

There is nothing wrong with these words: they merely link people to place.

- [i]Native [/i]merely says where you were born (same root as natal and nativity).

- [i]Indigenous[/i] populations are those native as a whole to the place in question; and the word is used in biology generally as well as to human societies.

- [i]Aboriginal[/i] populations are from the first humans in their lands.

The difficulties and bad associations arise when some start giving these words artificial meanings and associations that ignore their etymologies. Worse still. when they use the words in wilfully unpleasant ways.


Use me as an example, and I admit I am of, and still live in, one the Western European nations that colonised the Americas and other lands, and treated the original residents appallingly :

I am [i]native[/i] to my country although my far-back ancestors might not be [i]indigenous[/i] to it, though it is impossible to trace lineage that far back in a country to which it would be impossible meaningfully to ascribe any [i]aboriginal [/i]population anyway.

It would not be possible, because over some thousands of years but still well after our species' diaspora from its African roots, we "Old World" countries' natives became an amalgam of any indigenous peoples aboriginal to each and to many other lands, anyway! Some by migration and diffusion, some by conquest; but still too mixed-up for aboriginality at less than continental scale - and that was happening even before there were things called "countries".

I was raised in the New Mexico desert down from the Mescalero Apache reservation. At that time (late 1950s/1960s) my best friend was a classmate named Charles. Indeed, using the thorn of a tumbleweed, he and i pierced each other's thumbs and mixed our "blood brothers." Silly childhood nonsense, yes. But I appeal to our friendship to say that I've always respected Indians, which was the colloquial term for Native American.

"Indigenous" is an old word, recycled by someone in some academic circle who was trying to out-virtue signal his or her peers.

How about i just call you a friend? And you call me the same? In fact, let us all just do just that? "Love your neighbor as yourself?"

And remember who our neighbor is, by remembering the parable of The Good Samaritan--that is, even he who may have little in common with me is as much my neighbor as my own family.

It does not mean primitive. Native has been corrupted, but just means someone who there first. A not uncommon term used in differet parts of the world is 'first or original people.'

Indigenous means similar thing...

"originating or occurring naturally in a particular place; native.

"coriander is indigenous to southern Europe"

synonyms: native, endemic, local, domestic
(of people) inhabiting or existing in a land from the earliest times or from before the arrival of colonists"

Still, you use what you want. It is your life.

I would take the term "indigenous" as a compliment, to me it implies the right to be there as opposed to the "invasive" who do not belong.

I respect your impressions. Had a simular discussion at my workplace last. These things go in phases, I'm afraid. Like in Dutch there are two terms for describing prehistoric times: either it's "oertijd" or it "prehistorie". The first one can be losely translated as primitive times and the second as prehistoric times. People who like so-called new age stuff will go for the first because they somehow claim that they are the outspring of all that. Lets jump all the way there because that's how we feel, etc. There will be a point in time again when society allows to close down that because it really can't go on. One generation will be looking back whilst the next is trying to jump forward for real instead, and that will happen again soon enough

In Australia calling someone a Native Australian would actually be considered racist. Even the Latin word Aboriginal is being used less and less with Indigenous and or First Nations people more common.

All ethnic descriptors end up being considered racist to those who want to see racism in everything..

Oh and once you hear people calling you a native for a while you will start to think that the word native sound primitive to you and then you will have the opportunity to scream racist and play the victim again and demand that people use another descriptor and then it will be wash and repeat and again you will be screaming racist and play the victim again..

Oh wow, I never heard 'primitive' be used as a negative before. I have only heard it as an archeological term meaning "first" or "prime" (which is not a bad thing).

This is why it's probably a good idea to just ASK people what they prefer to be called or referred to as.

@Astro Most American Indians didn't become Americans until 1924, so, they are hardly Native Americans. And the majority of them couldn't vote until the late 1950s. Some still can't.

Ok Native Amerian

I agree with you. Do gooders feel awful superior when they put down white folks whom they want to condemn and displace; especially, when they are white themselves. They have this Mother Theresa complex looking for perceived victims of white supremacy.

You've put a label on a word that wasn't there. If only we were all indigenous then this broken wasted planet would still be a paradise..

It has nothing to do with being "primitive". The word [i]indigenous[/i] simply means

[quote] Being a member of the original inhabitants of a particular place.[/quote]

You of course have the right to self-identify as you choose, however.

Indigenous only means..........native to this land???????? Where did you get "primitive"???? In Mexico half of you would be indigenous there.

Good for you for recognizing how you would like to be identified as an unique individual.

Wow it's been over a year since I've seen one of your posts.

You mean [b]true[/b] American before the colonized America?

How about "autochthonous"?

I can dig it.

Aboriginal

Indigenous sounds too close to indigent for me.