I thought "Native American" was supposed to refer to the American continents (both of them), so would be a reasonable synonym.

So far, that "American" has been a touchy subject for many of my Canadian friends. Because it's been so tightly associate to the US, that they furrow their brows when it's applied to Canada except in the term "North American."

Yeah, I can see that. I can't think of an ideal solution that is not wordy and cumbersome or else relies on the listener being informed.

That grammars a mess. Sorry.

I was trying to work out what to call a "Canadian Indian" over here. In Montreal, it was pretty simple: First Peoples. But no one here gets that.

Canadian Indian is not a term I've ever heard before. It's either "First Nations" or "Aboriginal" (our government in the province has an Office of Aboriginal Affairs). "First People" implies that they were the first people here, which they were.

The federal department is still called "Indian Affairs" and the term "Status Indian" is still relevant in Canada since these are used to encompass Treaties under the "Indian Act."

That's why I put "Canadian Indian" in quotes. Because it's the literal translation, but not actually real.

I'd love it if we could go with Autochtones. I just adore saying it.

As a West Indian who grew up delineating myself from the East Indians, I look at the unadjectived Indian and my brain does a spinny thing.

What about Native Canadian? Or Canadian First Nations?

I think the problem is that all the words are fraught with trying to group all Native North Americans in one group, when they identify with their own specific communities. The word Indian seems to be consider pretty perjorative in Canada. And so does aboriginal, but in this province we have an office of Aboriginal Affairs, and I took a workshop "Aboriginal Perceptions" last year from the Diversity Management Advisor in our dept., who happens to be Mi'kmaq. I try to be specific to whatever First Nation the person I am talking about comes from.

As a West Indian who grew up delineating myself from the East Indians, I look at the unadjectived Indian and my brain does a spinny thing.

My East Indian friends self identified as "brown" to avoid confusion with the Mi'kmaqs. (Or Micmacs, as they were known at the time.)

Oh Allyson, when will you learn? You are way too fucking competent for your own good.

I, on the other hand, am here to prove that even a smidge of competence will help hide a considerable amount of incompetence.

Also? I am here to grade, but you wouldn't know it.

To make it even more fun, the term "Alaskan Native" is used in Alaska, and it encompasses the Native American tribes (Athabascan, Haida, Tlinglit, etc.), the Aleut, and the Inuit/Yupik (un-PC term - Eskimo).

I think the problem is that all the words are fraught with trying to group all Native North Americans in one group, when they identify with their own specific communities.

Yup, this.

The word Indian seems to be consider pretty perjorative in Canada. And so does aboriginal, but in this province we have an office of Aboriginal Affairs, and I took a workshop "Aboriginal Perceptions" last year from the Diversity Management Advisor in our dept., who happens to be Mi'kmaq.

that may be a throwback to history, kind of like the NAACP. It is now kind of offensive to refer to someone as "colored", but when the NAACP was formed, people had fought hard for the right.

Is that the name has not been changed? As a sort of homage to the Civil Rights fight, for lack of a better word?