Alternate name for Native Americans

aware of emptiness

What if the name "Indian" to describe native americans never stuck after Columbus realized his mistake?
Or alternatively, what if he realized quickly enough right away that they were not real Indians?
 

Keenir

Banned
aware of emptiness said:
What if the name "Indian" to describe native americans never stuck after Columbus realized his mistake?
Click to expand...

When exactly was that?

Or alternatively, what if he realized quickly enough right away that they were not real Indians?
Click to expand...

Unterhomonids, in a bastard mix of Germanic and Latin; reflecting the very real debate (back then) over the spiritual nature of the Amerinds.

or, Spaniards/Spanish property, reflecting who owns the land.
 

Tocomocho

"Naturals", as they were named during the Valladolid debate of 1550-1551.

Or perhaps "Caribs". In the very first years of the Spanish colonization, the Spaniards named all the unfriendly indians as "Caribes" and all the friendly indians as "Tainos". Even if they were unfriedly Tainos, they were called "Caribes".
 

Tyr

I like 'Injun'. Sure its just Indian in a Texan accent but its spelt and sounds totally different. Its took on a life of its own with westerns.
 

The Man

The Ones Who Came First. (Refernces to both there firstness and similarity to ancient people)
The Ancient(s) (Ones).
Atlans (based on the belief that america was atlantis)
 

HueyLong

Banned
Powhatan is one in OTL that was around for awhile, although mainly to the tribes of Virginia.

Mormonism has a term for American Indians, don't they? Based on the Lost Tribes of Israel, if I remember correctly.
 

CalBear

Moderator
Donor
Monthly Donor
Given the imagination of the time? Columbians.

Caribs has already been mentioned.

Aboriginies.

Aztecs.
 

HueyLong

Banned
True, but it could easily have come about earlier. Or, alternately, it could be a more widespread term in an ATL.
 

Ofaloaf

Maybe call Native Americans 'Aborigines' or 'Aboriginals', like in most of the British Commonwealth area?
 

Count Dearborn

How about Skraylings? That what the Norse were supposed to have called them. Though, it could be taken as an insult, as one of its meanings is "wretch".
 

Umbral

Skræling, or Vinlander would seem reasonable.
Cod fishermen from northern europe was fishing off Newfoundland around 1500, so knowing that the place was Vinland isn't unreasonable. For them.

I could see different names in differnt languages. Northern european languages going with "Skræling" in Scandianvia and some variety of "Vinlander" in English, German and Dutch.

While southern europe would be using "Carib", or "Aztec".

It might be some time before they realized the two points of contact were on the same continent, and so different names seem reasonable.
 

HelloLegend

Banned
aware of emptiness said:
What if the name "Indian" to describe native americans never stuck after Columbus realized his mistake?
Or alternatively, what if he realized quickly enough right away that they were not real Indians?
Click to expand...

The name used is sociology is "Amerinds," but that still stands for American Indian.
 

Max Sinister

Banned
What about "Americans"? Of course, then we need another name for the US of A too, or things become confusing...

If America gets a different name, we could have something completely different, like "Atlanteans" frex...
 

Saladin

Another term that has some current usage, although always at a low level compared to other terms, is INDIGENE, just to add another to the mix
 
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