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Native American adjective /ˌneɪtɪv əˈmerɪkən/ /ˌneɪtɪv əˈmerɪkən/ (also American Indian) jump to other results - of or connected with any of the races of people who were the original people living in America
- Native American languages
Native American noun /ˌneɪtɪv əˈmerɪkən/ /ˌneɪtɪv əˈmerɪkən/ (also American Indian) jump to other results - a member of any of the races of people who were the original people living in America
- There is particular concern over the welfare of Native Americans who live in the area.
CultureFor a long time white people called Native Americans Indians because when Christopher Columbus first arrived in America, he thought he had reached India. Today, many people do not like this name and prefer to use the term Native American or American Indian. Before Europeans arrived in North America there were many tribes who lived by hunting animals and gathering plants, and who moved from one place to another according to the season. When Europeans first settled after 1607, Native Americans were quite positive about them and were happy to have the many new things they brought. However, the settlers also introduced new diseases that Native Americans could not fight, and they wanted to take their land. To Native Americans the idea of owning land was unknown, but the settlers assumed that they would take control of North America and used all means to do this. Gradually the Native Americans were forced to move to new areas very different from the ones they were used to. Before the Europeans arrived it is estimated that there were over 300 Native American languages, some of which have now died out and many of those remaining are only spoken by a few older people. Other languages, like Cherokee, are more widely spoken. There are now about 550 tribes including well-known groups like the Navajo and the Sioux. Many Native Americans live on reservations (= areas of land that the government has allowed them to keep as their own).
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