Tom and Moonflower:
Thanks for the information. I had heard that "Indians" preferred to be called "Indians." Yet I didn't want to do it here because Columbus was mistaken in thinking that he had reached India. You would think that they would want to be called by the name of their group---whether Lakota, Navaho, Wintu, or whatever they call themselves.
Matt
Matt,
This idea seems reasonable to us. However, it also is problematic.
Seems that most of the indian tribal names that we are familiar with are the names that trappers or neighboring tribes used. I turns out that most tribes just called themselves, "The People", using whatever word meant that in their own language.
For example, we know one major tribe by the name the French knew them by...the "Sioux". This bunch actually had at least three major divisions, and called themselves, "Dakotah", "Lakotah", and (if I remember correctly) "Nakotah".
The tribe we call the "Nez Perce" were called that by the French trappers who were commenting on the bones they wore in their noses.
The tribe we call the "Navaho" call themselves the "Dineh", which means.....you guessed it...the people. They call us the "Belaganah", which means, "crackpot blowhard know-it-all ex-cult memebers."
Blessings,
Thomas Maddux