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.

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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

The state’s natural salt “licks” had long been harvested by Native Americans, and by 1888 Michigan produced 40% of U.S.-manufactured salt.

From Barron's • May 2, 2026

Native Americans were initially excluded as well, but Congress later extended birthright citizenship to them under federal law.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 29, 2026

So citizenship was not always a great thing for Native Americans.

From Slate • Mar. 16, 2026

Greenpeace maintains that it played only a small and peaceful role in the movement, which was led by Native Americans.

From Barron's • Feb. 27, 2026

Finally, we’ll see how insight into the animal origins of our infectious diseases helps explain the momentous, almost one-way exchange of germs between Europeans and Native Americans.

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