Native Americans

Cultural

The descendants of the original inhabitants of North America and South America before the arrival of white settlers from Europe, also called Indians or American Indians. The term Native American is sometimes preferred over Indian because the latter is a misnomer that originated with Columbus, who mistook the inhabitants of America for the people of India. Both terms, however, are accepted.

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In recent years, Native American activism has taken the form of calls for the protection of their tribal or ancestral shrines and artifacts.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Greenpeace maintains that it played only a small and peaceful role in the movement, which was led by Native Americans.

From Barron's

For instance, Park Service employees removed signage from the Grand Canyon about the mistreatment of Native Americans.

From Los Angeles Times

Native Americans were forcibly removed from their lands in the development of this nation and enslaved people were brought to America involuntarily.

From Los Angeles Times

In early voyages to the New World, Euro Americans brought their ideas about identity, spirituality, ethnicity and skin color as they first encountered Native Americans.

From Los Angeles Times

Inspired, Pratt sold his first painting while still in high school—a Crucifixion scene, in which all the characters were Native Americans.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023