Indian Country

At the India Cash and Carry, Foster City

During the 20th Century the word "Indian" for most non-Native Americans conjured images that were popularized in movie and television Westerns. Distorted though the images were, there was no ambiguity about whom we were talking. If we were referring to the other India, we clarified what we meant by saying "India, the country" much as we said "Washington, the state."

For the past twenty years, at least in the Bay Area, the dominant image has flipped completely. In our daily lives we encounter Indian (the country) doctors, engineers, and businesspeople. There are Indian Christians who worship at our church, Indian veterinarians who treat our pets, and Indian bank tellers who greet us at the local branch.

The indigenous peoples have become the other Indians and are now for the most part referred to as Native Americans. When clarity and political correctness coincide, change is accepted and rapid.

[Note: the traditional meaning is commonly recognized when "Indian" is paired with "casino," one of California's fastest growing businesses that we do our best to support.] © 2013 Stephen Yuen