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Because Columbus actually believed he had reached India. The misnomer still hasn't completely disappeared, and it's been over five hundred years now (old habits die hard). But more often than not, they are now properly referred to in the USA as "Native Americans", and in Canada by a term I like even better: "First Peoples".
Wiki User
∙ 12y ago
Wiki User
∙ 9y agoBecause of a mathematics error made by Christopher Columbus indicating the circumference of the earth was much smallerthan it actually is (others of his time as well as the ancient Greeks had done this calculation correctly and knew the right answer). As Columbus believed his calculation, when he arrived in the New World he was exactly where he expected to be if he had sailed to India. As he was certain he was in India, any people encountered MUST be Indians (even if they did not match descriptions he had read or heard of the Indian peoples). Later Europeans continued to call them Indians even though it was soon shown that Columbus was incorrect.
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoBecause columbus was supposed to sail to the indies for spices but instead found the caribbean and thought they were "Indians"
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Native Canadians are Indians and?
Americas
Why Native American do not want to be called Indians?
because Indians are people from India and it is completely different from native american
What are the native people of america called?
Native peoples can be called indigenous.
When was Native Canadians - album - created?
Native Canadians - album - was created in 2008-06.
What do you called the people who is live in Canada?
Canadians... if they are native there. Others, just Canada Citizens.
What are french speaking Canadians called?
French-speaking Canadians are called Francophones.
Why doesn't native Americans do not want to be called Indians?
because Indians are people from India and it is completely different from native american
What are the native American Indians called of the south west?
apache
What was native Americans called before they were called native Americans?
Native Americans called themselves by their tribe (i.e. Cherokee, Powatan, Lakota, etc.) When Christopher Columbus arrived, he erroneously believed he was in the Indies, so he declared them "Indians".
What names are native Canadians sometimes known as?
are often referred to as First Nations People or Aboriginal Peoples. The Eskimo People are perhaps more properly known as Inuit. French Voyageurs had children with the native people and they are called "Metis" If you are referring to Canadians in general, we are sometimes referred to as Canucks or just Canadians.
Who gave the Native American the name Indians?
Columbus called the Native Americans Indians, because he thought he was in India when he arrived in America. The name stuck, and we still call them Indians today.
What did the Indians call Niagara Falls?
The Native Americans (Indians) called Niagara Falls the Thunder Of Water.
