Quote:
Originally Posted by 3rd&Brown
Why not? In South America, students are taught that North and South America are one continent simply called America.
Culturally, they think of themselves as new world (largely immigrant populations account for much of South America's populace in the same was as they do in North America).
It's actually very insulting to tell someone in Argentina, Chile, or Brazil that you're "American". If you do so, they'll very often say something like, "yo tambien". i.e. "Me too".
So through that lense, you could make the argument calling someone "Native American" is to merely differentiate between indigenous people and immigrants, generically, across the continent.
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Yeah, I know that.
My issue isn't so much with the use of the word "American", but rather the term "Native American" which is a US-invented term to describe Indigenous people in that country. Like most terms invented to describe these people, it's an awkward kludge at best. The Canadian-invented terms or terms used in other languages like Spanish, French or Portuguese aren't necessarily any less awkward, but at least they are rooted in the reality and history of their countries.
When I hear a Canadian say that such and such a person is "Native American" from the Tsawwassen reserve in BC or the Saugeen reserve in Ontario, my first thought is always that the speaker has been watching too much American TV.