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Why are native americans called 'indians, or red Indians'?

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Why are native americans called 'indians, or red Indians'?

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  1. "Indians" because someone was dumb. "Red Indians" is not an acceptable term in the U.S., I generally only hear (read) it used by those in Europe. Because it's not used here, I don't know why it is/was used. Maybe it was a (wrongly) popularized term in novels, I dunno.


  2. The answer actually is quite simple, it was because the Eurporean though the native American are decent of people from India. Nevertheless the European may just be right from the begining.

  3. They aren't anymore but they used to be before political correctness owing to the fact Christopher Columbus believed he'd reached India (which is what he was aiming for) when in fact he'd 'discovered' America, from what I've read.

  4. the guys are right about Columbus thinking he had reached India. The reason for the name 'red indians' is because the natives rubbed blood onto their skin after a kill when hunting, also after a meal they rubbed their  greasy hands over their body too. Their real skin colour was light brown.

  5. Body paint.

  6. When Christopher Columbus arrived in the New world he had thought he had arrived somewhere near India.He named the native people Indios the Spanish word for Indians.Because there are so many varieties of Indians they cannot be defined by one color.Some North American Indians have a copper coloring hence the expression red Indians.

  7. cus

  8. Christopher Columbus thought he arrived in India. The skins were slightly more pinkish.

  9. columbus thought he had rounded the world and arrived in India

  10. The word indian is described in your first part of your question.

    Native of America....they are not really red but copper coloured.

  11. I am Native American  and I am not Red,... my skin color is brownish color.... and i dont know why we are called RedSkins....maybe Columbus was colored blind...

  12. Because Columbus thought he had found a new route to India.

  13. Columbus intended to find a waterway to India.

    When he landed he thought he had reached India.

    The islands were he landed therefor where called  the west-Indian-islands. The people they lived there he cold Indians.

  14. The early explorers thought they were in India having gone West to circumnavigate the globe.

  15. When they discovered it the thought America was the East coast of India.

  16. The Indigenous people of this land are called Indians because a gross error was committed by Christopher Columbus he was trying to discover passage to India.

    The truth is that Christopher Columbus missed India and never saw present day USA either. To get to the point Mr. Columbus saw some island people’s and thought he had finally found India so he named them Indians. Another error how can you name people that already knew who they were for thousands of years..

    When it’s all said and done the Indigenous people of this land are very happy about the fact that Columbus was not looking for TURKEY

  17. It's because the dipstick who was the first European to land on North America thought he was in India.

  18. because of their skin tones

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