If I was born in Los Angeles, does that make me a native American?

Is your skin brown? Can you speak a native language? Do you have traditional values? If no, than you are NOT Native American. It sure is funny when people of different races want to say they are Native Americans, the reason we got that name AFTER that stupid motherfu*ker Columbus came along with early Europeans calling us "Indians" and destroyed our people by bringing sickness, religion, stealing our land, creating what it is today was because we were here first. I am Navajo, I live on a sad reservation, also I can speak my language and do a lot of things an "Indian" can do. My ancestors are the purest Native Americans, I also consider myself Dine (five fingered people), I have two names, one is my Navajo name and the other is my White name. Shi ei Tlas'chi'hi nishli aado ashii'hi bi'yaashchiin bi'tahnii dah shi cheii aado toh'sohnii da shi' naali, this is how I indentify myself. Other than that if you don't have a CIB (Certificate of Indian Blood) or are considered half or full blooded Native American and you come to a reservation claiming you are one, you will be laughed at and asked why the heck you want to even consider yourself one.

The term "Native American" is used to describe people with ethnic background stemming from any of the tribes of indigenous peoples ("Amerindians") living on the North American continent prior to the arrival of Columbus in 1492 ("Pre-Columbian"). Such individuals can be born anywhere on Earth (any continent), because the term denotes ethnic (genetic) heritage and not birthplace per se. The indigenous peoples of North America were regarded as enemies of the government of the United States until 1921, because they were regarded as citizens of a "foreign" (non-USA) nation. The notion of "indigenous peoples" (ethnic, genetic) is not special to the USA. Northern Scandinavia (Finland, Sweden, Norway) is home to the Sami (Lappish) people, for example.

Policy of the US Federal Government specifically called for removal and/or genocide of indigenous peoples from many areas of the Eastern United States.

The US Secretary of State Lewis Cass once stated, "It would be a deed of mercy to shoot every Indian west of the Mississippi."

The term "Native American" should therefore not be taken jokingly.

mmm ... OK.

If you were born in Los Angeles of indigenous ancestry then yes. Somewhere along the line some politically correct nitwad determined that was the definition. "Navajo-American" and "Hopi-American" and "Chumash-American" wasn't good enough for them.

A simple NO would work here, you are American, but not Native American

What are your requirements for someone to be considered to native a country?

Being Native to a country and being a "native american" are two diffrent things. Native americans would be the american indians that were here long before anyone else. Being born here, as well as your relatives, (mine also) doesnt make you a native american, it makes you american

So am I a native American or not native to America?

I have a friend who lives in Canada, he was born there from Canadian parents, is he allowed to call himself a native Canadian?

I would say no based on my previous statment, but I see you are going for an ignorant fight! Have fun with that :)

Why can't you answer my original question to you?

What are your requirements for someone to be considered to native a country?

lol your fun, please see my original answer, that answered your question, I don't feel the need to repeat myself

i am a native californian!

As far as I'm concerned, yes.

I was born in America, so were both of my parents, all four of my grandparents, all eight of my great-grandparents and all 16 of my great-great-grandparents. Is that enough for me to say I am native to this land?

jeez ... you're making me feel like an immigrant! i don't know how many of my great-grandparents were born here. my mom told me that somebody on her side was in the military during the American Civil War (on the WINNING side, of course!!)

So if all seven of these guys from South Africa migrated to the US you would call them all African-Americans?

Good question.

Yes, they would be African-Americans, is there some point you were trying to make?

...but you say the President is not.

Quote?

You are native to the land you are born in even though you have a heritage that may extend to Europe, Asia, Africa, etc. Native Americans, as we call "Indians", are likely to have migrated here from another area of the world so the first were not native but succeeding were.

I have heard of people claiming to be native american with less justification than that before. The casinos bring people out of the woodwork.

It makes you an "American citizen". Not a "native American".

What makes someone native to a country in your opinion?