# Columbus and "Indian"

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/columbus-and-indian/152814>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [February 4, 2003, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/columbus-and-indian/152814 "2003-02-04T23:32:17Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\
**Post date:** [February 4, 2003, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/columbus-and-indian/152814/1 "2003-02-04T23:32:17Z")

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[Staff report](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mgenteindios.html)

What would American aboriginal people have been called if this “Indian” thing hadn’t happened?

(I searched, but couldn’t find any previous discussion. If you find one, cool. Link me.)

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**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\
**Post date:** [February 5, 2003, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/columbus-and-indian/152814/2 "2003-02-05T01:49:06Z")

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_That_ is a very interesting question. Other than some version of “indigenes” or “aborigines”, my best guess would be the name ( or some corruption thereof ) of some particularly prominent tribe that became conflated to include all amerindians. Either that or they may have simply become “americans”, “american natives”, or some similar variation on that theme, based on the adoption of that name for the continental landmass(es).

- Tamerlane