Why were indigenous peoples in the Americas called 'Indians'?

It's a wonder they haven't changed it when they realized they were not in India

The name given was erroneous n disrespectful the way that the Europeans dismissed the ORIGINAL inhabitants with no compassion no logic nor any fairness!! Their assistance from the early Pilgrims through the trappers,explorers, Lewis &Clark expedition The Woman Sahajecko was CRITICAL to the push to the Pacific!! The butchering of the buffalo the diseases which Columbus brought n killed many is a secret weapon that few speak of! The treaties and the destruction of their lifestyle n making them try and assimilate to be “European” as well as own slaves is the ULTIMATE insult

Columbus died still believing he landed in India.

tsegisgirl, Right--North America and Europe have bison. Africa has the Cape Buffalo and Asia has the Water Buffalo. After the US Army and people like Buffalo Bill (I never understood why slaughtering animals made him a hero) finished their killing, 60 million bison had been reduced to about 300 individuals. A few private ranchers gathered the few remaining animals to save them from extinction. If not for a few individual good guys, working with Native people, states, and the Interior Department, the American Bison would be extinct today.

Cherokee, Apache, and Navajo tribes all have words referring to themselves as, "The People." This is true of many tribes. Some use a slightly different concept: "The Real People."

Player #25874027, We don't have buffalo. We have bison

yes I were a rum and vicious lot back in those days it's apparently we haven't learnt just look at Israel today

Player #25874027, the names of different tribes was the word. People in their language

Player #17575163, should have called them Americans

Dayrell, Sacajaewa was her name

Player #25874027, why didn’t they just ask the people, “What is the name of your people?”… simple enough.

Dayrell, Yes and NOW let's all FOCUS on a NEW Furure

Player #17575163, It is now Native American. Although that is nearly as bad , insofar as “America” is the name given by the incoming Europeans