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It is an old and very racist term that should never have been used at the time, and definitely should not be used today.
When European-ancestry settlers began to move into the American West and encountered native residents. Some of the white settlers claimed that when they took gifts from the natives, the natives later wanted them back, so the derogatory term "indian giver" arose to describe someone who provides you with something and then tries to reclaim it.
......... One of the reasons this started is because it is/was Native American custom that when a gift was given, a gift of similar value was to be given back. If it could not be given back, the original gift was expected to be returned. Europeans could not grasp this so the belittled the Native Americans. What we do not understand, we make fun of. Also, it was and still known among Native Americans, that a gift given it is given. No Strings attached to the gift given Early Americans of EU descendants always thought the Native Americans were very dumb or very stupid. So when a barter was negotiated and the EU descendant wanted to back out of an agreed trade, they would say and use the term it was a Indian giver deal.
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
Wiki User
∙ 11y agoThere are two schools of thought on this: One says the Native Americans "gave" the European settlers land, etc., in exchange for gifts (usually trinkets), then turned around and wanted their land back. Much of this came from miscommunication: The natives accepted the gifts in exchange for sharing use of the land with settlers, not expecting them to make permanent settlements, or to order the natives off their own property.
The other school says the term refers to the Europeans' (and later Americans') practice of making treaties with the natives (usually by forcing them to cooperate) to last "forever", then breaking the treaties when more resources (gold, oil, etc.) were discovered on the land promised to the natives, or the settlers simply wanted more room.
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Why did Indian giver start?
In reality the term Indian giver didn't begin until a while after the US kept moving the Native Americans to reservations. When someone says Indian giver they aren't making racist remarks to Indians. If you analyze the phrase an Indian giver is someone who GIVES TO INDIANS it does not mean an Indian that gives to others. If you are an Indian giver YOU GIVE to Indians. Now this isn't the actual meaning but only a surface view that has more depth. This phrase became popular because the Americans gave to Indians many things such as food, land, and animals. The twist is that they would eventually take what they "gave" to the Native Americans, such as the land so that they could live on. But because the land was rich in soil the Americans took it from them and moved them to smaller reservations every time where the land did not prosper. When people say I'm not an Indian giver they mean "I do not give to others and then take it from them by surprise." Once analyzed when you say Indian giver you aren't disgracing Native Americans, but you are talking bad about the early Americans. Hope this helped and please pass this on because people are banning this and think it's talking falsely of Indians when in reality it has nothing bad about them. This phrase is actually good because it carries a piece of American history.
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Why did Indian giver start?
In reality the term Indian giver didn't begin until a while after the US kept moving the Native Americans to reservations. When someone says Indian giver they aren't making racist remarks to Indians. If you analyze the phrase an Indian giver is someone who GIVES TO INDIANS it does not mean an Indian that gives to others. If you are an Indian giver YOU GIVE to Indians. Now this isn't the actual meaning but only a surface view that has more depth. This phrase became popular because the Americans gave to Indians many things such as food, land, and animals. The twist is that they would eventually take what they "gave" to the Native Americans, such as the land so that they could live on. But because the land was rich in soil the Americans took it from them and moved them to smaller reservations every time where the land did not prosper. When people say I'm not an Indian giver they mean "I do not give to others and then take it from them by surprise." Once analyzed when you say Indian giver you aren't disgracing Native Americans, but you are talking bad about the early Americans. Hope this helped and please pass this on because people are banning this and think it's talking falsely of Indians when in reality it has nothing bad about them. This phrase is actually good because it carries a piece of American history.
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