No, I don’t think they should be called Indians.
I have invented the best word, Indigian. You saw it here first.
Not if that’s not what they want. But they have been called that for 400+ years, so it seems a little late in the game to expect them to change their terminology.
No, I think you should use the term you prefer as well. You’re from India; why shouldn’t you refer to yourself as Indian? I think if it causes occasional confusion you can clarify as necessary. If I were born in Lincoln, Montana (which I wasn’t) and went around telling people I was from Lincoln, I don’t think I could complain if they thought I was from Nebraska. You just clarify as necessary.
It’s also worth noting that “Indian” as in “Native American” is a specific term used extensively in U.S. Federal law, e.g.: The Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA); the Indian Gaming Regulation Act (IGRA); the idea of “Indian Country,” which also has a specific legal definition under U.S. law. (See 18 U.S.C. sec. 1151.) For purposes of Federal law – and most of the law regarding Native Americans is Federal law – “Indian” is still the accepted term.
My experience with Native Americans (of which I am not one) is that they prefer to be identified by tribe if you must refer to their culture. If you must speak of them in terms of general race, I understand that “Native American” is considered the term whites use when they are trying to be respectful, but Indian is more commonly used among Natives themselves and doesn’t much piss them off from whites either. I’ll gladly be corrected by any Native, though. I tend to use Native American because I’d rather be thought a respectful outsider (which I am) than either over-familiar or ignorant.
I grew up in Montana and there at least the universal understanding is that by “Indian” you mean “Native American.” Indians-from-India are still pretty thin on the ground. Personally, I like the Canadian terms “First Nations”; I wish that would catch on down here.
For the record, I disagree strongly. I don’t think you have any strong “ethnic” features and just look generically central/southern Asian. I’d think you were African before I thought you were Native American.
My partner is Navajo. He’s find with the term Indian so I use it as well. I’ll use the name of the tribe if there is a particular reason to specify a tribal name.
As far as the general use of the term Indian to refer to India or North America, I try to use it in a context where it can be understood.
For example, if I say, “Did you catch the Cowboy game?” I’ll assume the person standing next to me in Dallas knows I’m referring to the Dallas Cowboys. If I was on the Oklahoma State University campus, I’d assume the Oklahoma State Cowboys were probably the team being discussed.
It’s a complete fabrication. Columbus definitely and unequivocally called the people he found in the Americas “Indians” because he thought he was in the Indies. He never said anything about them being a people “in dios” (which would be en dios in Spanish anyway).
See my Staff Report: Does “Indian” derive from Columbus’s description of Native Americans as “una gente in Dios”?
You should call people whatever they want to be called.
They have no right to determine what you should be called.
Thanks, Colibri!
Maybe in your part of America, Indian defaults to a member of one of the Native American nations, but here, when I drill down into my mixed ancestry, I have to be specific or people will assume India. But we have a huge E. Indian population in Queens, and not so much a Native American presence. I don’t know if any other US areas have the same assumption.
I certainly don’t think of “Indian” as referring to Native Americans - my first assumption is to equate it with people from India. And I was born here in the States, mid-70s. We certainly have Native Americans around here, but if some one were to say to me, “You know, Bob - he’s Indian,” I’d definitely default to thinking of him as someone that was born near Mumbai. I’m with Eureka - “East Indian” to me says that you’re from the eastern part of India. No way would I equate that with “India in Asia,” if you know what I mean.
But I’ve spent most of my career in software development, so take that for what you will.
As an Indian, I just say “Indian”.
If they want clarification, I say “dots, not feathers”.
Seems to do the trick.
I had a pair of interns from Hyderabad once and I took them to see “Windtalkers.” This produced some confusion in them over the term “Navajo.” Once I explained that the Navajo were Native Americans, they were all excited to explain to me how Christopher Columbus thought he’d made it to India…
I just nodded and smiled politely.
I only want to object to the “near Mumbai” part. 
I’m from Punjab! In my eyes that is nowhere near Mumbai.
Punjab is nicer. 
It’s closer to Mumbai than it is to Schenectady!
Well, what would you expect it to say? Who wants to admit to being near Schenectady? 