"Indian"

Guest Blogger: Anu

In the New America, people have actually figured out that Native and Indigenous peoples are not Indian. That’s right, they actually figured out that Columbus did not actually land in India- and therefore that the people he found here are not actually Indians. It’s amazing to me that this took centuries and a black president to get people to figure this out. I got so sick of people asking me, “are you Asian Indian or Native American Indian?” Huh? There is no such thing as a Native American Indian. Indians are from India. Even worse, people would ask me “Are you spot or feather?” This was one of the hardest times for me to restrain myself and practice ahimsa, the Hindu principle of nonviolence. I swear my patience really got tested some days.

But now…now! When I say I am Indian, they say, “Oh, from what region? It’s like I woke up one day in a world where everyone is educated and actually in touch with reality. What a relief.