American Indian or Native American?

Both can describe indigenous people in the United States, but the implications are politically opposing.

Participants in the North Dakota First Nations Day at the Heritage Center considered the options presented by Phil Baird, UnitedTribes Technical College vice president of academic affairs.

"I'm always asked if I call myself American Indian or Native American,"Baird said. He's seen a trend in students toward preferring Native American, but through his life, American Indian was the preferred term.

He saw the newer term begin to be used in legislation in the 1980s, usually proposed by a congressman from Hawaii seeking sovereignty for native Hawaiians.

Native American could include other indigenous people, Baird said, like the Alaska native and the native Hawaiian. Yet, American Indian was a misnomer from the early explorers who came to this continent while seeking a passage to India.

In a greater context, these words describe part of American Indian identity. Tribe names, reservation names and home towns also factor into identity, as well as citizenship and tribal enrollment.

Identity in the form of citizenship was once tied to land. The federal government in the early 20th century required American Indians to pay property taxes. Land that was once held in trust was given up in exchange for citizenship in the United States, UTTC president David Gipp said.

He showed the audience a photograph from Fort Yates of a citizenship ceremony for people who had exchanged the trust land for land on which they paid property tax.

This act led to the loss of tribal lands when property taxes were not paid, and it was sold to people other than American Indians.

First Nations Day is part of Native American Heritage Month.

(Reach reporter Sara Kincaid at 250-8251 or sara.kincaid@;bismarcktribune.com.)