Indian, Native American, American Indian?
Abstract
What is an Indian? A Native American? An indigenous person? American Indian, First Nation, or Aboriginal? All these labels are used, but none is entirely correct. Who decides? “Are you a full blood? Half blood? Quarter blood?” The question of how much “Indian blood” you have—also called “blood quantum”—began with European contact. This colonial way of thinking continues when we keep defining ourselves by blood. What part of you is Native? Is it your head? Your heart? Maybe it’s your thoughts. But it is not just your blood. We are the sum of all our parts. All human. One hundred percent. Fully Native.
Keywords
References
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