Does Indian mean your ancestry originated from India or is it more complicated?

[Anonymous]

I understand the difference between indigenous people/Native Americans and Indians but are there any other descrpitions than that?

[Lliam]

Here is an interesting article about the origin of the word "India" and Indians.
https://www.etymonline.com/word/indian

Indian has been populated by humans since there were humans. It had a long history and rich culture before the British arrived.

American Indians are totally different. The first humans are thought to have arrived in the western hemisphere from Siberia between 15,000 and 16,000 years ago. All the indigenous peoples of the western hemisphere wound up being called Indians because, supposedly, Christopher Columbus thought he had sailed around the world to India.

Native Americans were sometimes referred to as Red Indians to differentiate them from Indians.

[ibodi]

Indian was called indian because westerners should have gone to india but they went to amricas. so still call them indian. So dont know which indians.

[purplepoppy]

No. If a dna test comes up with india it just means at some point in your genetic history one or more of your ancestors was an Indian. It doesn't even mean they lived in India.

[jshm2]

The word "Indian" originally means "savage" and alluded to British mentalities back in the day. Hence anyone not under British rule was "Indian"

[Anonymous]

They're native Americans not Indians.

Indians are dark skinned people who love curry.