Native Americans

Cultural  

1. The descendants of the original inhabitants of North America and South America before the arrival of white settlers from Europe, also called Indians or American Indians. The term Native American is sometimes preferred over Indian because the latter is a misnomer that originated with Columbus, who mistook the inhabitants of America for the people of India. Both terms, however, are accepted.

---

Discover More

In recent years, Native American activism has taken the form of calls for the protection of their tribal or ancestral shrines and artifacts.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Native Americans

Pope Francis declared him a saint in 2015, despite protests from Native Americans because of his treatment of their ancestors.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 4, 2026

"But I want people to remember that Native Americans have been here a lot longer than 250 years," he said.

From Barron's ● Jul. 4, 2026

Colonists even dressed up as Native Americans for the Boston Tea Party—a practice that historian Philip Deloria refers to as “playing Indian.”

From Slate ● Jul. 3, 2026

“Could the political parties ever be cleansed of corruption? What place would African Americans have in American society? Would Native Americans survive at all, and at what cost to their embattled cultures?”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026

We easily forget that horses and rifles were originally unknown to Native Americans.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond