There are many names and terms that have been used for Indigenous peoples in the United States and all around the world. It is important to understand that Indigenous peoples are not a monolith, and may have different preferences for language. Wherever possible, specific tribal names are preferred over general terms.
NATIVE, INDIGENOUS, and ABORIGINAL all mean “belonging to a locality,” and are used to describe the original inhabitants of an area. However, these terms have different connotations and uses may vary between regions and groups.
INDIGENOUS PEOPLES is the broadest term to refer to people native to a particular area, who lived there prior to any settler populations. Indigenous peoples are distinct groups with a shared national identity and ancestral ties to an area, such as the Lakota in the United States or the Saami of northern Europe. In writing, the word “Indigenous” should be capitalized.
NATIVE PEOPLES is becoming a less common umbrella term in some places but is often used interchangeably with “Indigenous peoples.” Colloquially, “native” can refer to any person who is local to an area (such as a Baltimore native), while “Indigenous” is used more specifically to refer to non-white original inhabitants of an area. When referring to non-white original peoples, “Native” should be capitalized.
ABORIGINAL has a more specific meaning and usually refers to the Indigenous peoples of Australia, though it is sometimes used in other areas such as Canada as well.
NATIVE AMERICAN and AMERICAN INDIAN are terms used to refer to the Indigenous peoples living in the United States. “American Indian” is a specific legal term used by the Federal Indian Law branch and the U.S. Office of Management and Budget through the U.S. Census Bureau.
FIRST PEOPLES and FIRST NATIONS are terms most often used to refer to Indigenous peoples in North America or the Americas more broadly, though it is sometimes applied to Australian Aboriginal peoples as well. In Canada, First Nations specifically refers to one of three groupings of Indigenous peoples, the other two being Métis and Inuit.
TRIBE and NATION are often used interchangeably to refer to Native communities composed of numerous families, clans, or generations having a shared ancestry and language. While the term “tribe” is widely used, some people advocate for the term “nation” as it does a better job of reflecting that Indigenous nations are distinct and sovereign communities with their own system of governance. Many nations have more than one name, due to European settlers mispronouncing or renaming Native tribes. Both "nation" and "tribe" should be capitalized if used as part of a proper noun. Some groups, such as the Native Governance Center, recommend capitalizing the words "Tribe" and "Tribal" in all cases.
BAND is typically the smallest type of recognized group, usually applied to a single village or cluster of families. There can be different bands within a tribe.
PEOPLE is sometimes used in the same way as “nation,” referring to a specific tribal group with a common identity, such as the Navajo Nation or the Lumbee Tribe. However, it is also sometimes used to refer to larger divisions between peoples, such as language groups. In Maryland, the largest division among the Native population is between the Algonquin, Iroquois, and Siouan language groups. “Algonquin peoples” refers to the community of tribes that all speak Algonquin languages. The Iroquois, sometimes called the Iroquois people or Iroquois Indians, actually consist of 5 (later 6) different tribes speaking Iroquois languages.
CONFEDERACY is the term Europeans used to describe the political and economic alliance formed between tribes of similar traits and interests. The term “nation” is also sometimes used. The Powhatan Confederacy was the primary governing body of Indigenous peoples encountered by European settlers and was composed of Algonquin tribes stretching from the Carolinas to Maryland.
EXONYMS are terms applied to ethnic groups by people of a different ethnic identity. For example, in America, "Sioux" is a French word that is colloquially used to identify many different Native communities, often related to the Dakota and Lakota Tribes. In Canada and Arctic regions, "Eskimo" is a settler-given name for the Inuit and Yupik Nations, and although it is commonly used, it is considered a slur.
ENDONYMS are terms by which a community refers to themselves. For example, "Dakota," "Lakota," "Inuit," and "Yupik" are all names used by Native tribes to refer to themselves.
Depending on your research question, information needs, or the type of source, you may want to use both colloquial terms (often exonyms) and community-designated terms (often endonyms).
In general, when searching in library databases, it is often more useful to use exonyms and colloquial terms to find information. When searching non-traditional sources or sources outside academic institutions, it may be more useful to use endonyms and community-designated terms.
In general conversations, be considerate about which terms you are using, and always use endonyms and specific tribal names when possible.
