Opinion

Alex Jacobs: The Indian List - or what people call us Indians





"Los Indios (The Indian List)

(This is what they call us)

Los Indios, Indio, Indian, Indianner, injuns, Americans, American Race, redman, redskin, redstick, redbone, Peaux-rouge, salvage, savage, sauvage, salvaticho, skraelings, wildmen, pagan, heather, infidel, primitive, barbarian, cannibals, Caliban, new world man, sons of another adam.

Red devil, tawny devil, tawnies, darkies, darklings, brownies, greasy heathen, copper-colored, copper-skins, copperhead, red nigger, backward, undeveloped, obstacle to progress, stoic, the plight of the Indian, Indian giver, Indian coffee, sly as an Indian, Indian lover, praying Indians, friendlies, hostiles, renegades, red line of cruelty, bloody border warfare, Indian Country, Indian menace, Indian peril, savage barrier, vanishing Indian, Lo! The poor Indian, Mr. Lo, poor Indian, blanket ass, feather head, le plume, lazy Indian, dumb Indian, playing the dumb Indian, wooden Indian, cigar-store Indian, Indian princess, Indian summer, Indian camp, firewater, debased, debauched, downtrodden, scalp, scalp-lock, scalp-knife, cruel, bloodthirsty, massacre, bury the hatchet, smoke the peace pipe, red children, visit the great white father, the Indian question, the Indian problem, Indian law, American Indian Law, you can not change an Indian, the only good Indian is a dead Indian, nits make lice."

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Alex Jacobs: The Indian List of Names (Indian Country Today 1/25)

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