Talk:Indian giving

Indian Giver!

This was a popular exclamation amongst fellow preschool boys in the 1950's in America. Cowboy and Indian programs were all the rage on TV at the time. Perhaps one kid gave another something, say an old toy, as a trade for something or as a gift to a good friend. As the greatful kid began to enjoy the toy and show lots of interest in it, the one who gave it up might begin to have second thoughts. He might even mention it to his mother. The Mother, finds out and scolds the one who was giving their toys away, and tells him to go, get it back! The poor kid then has to go back and get the toy back, and endure the taunting and henious label, of being called "Indian Giver!" Often chanted three times in increasing volume. That is, one who gives someone something of value, and then suddenly takes it back. Even if it was a loan during play, taking the object back suddenly, is the action of an Indian Giver. Look out, Freddie is an indian giver.

By the way, this term says nothing negative against Naitive Americans. It is an expression of destain, comparing one with the rapacious white males of the 1800's who treated indians disingenuously, promising peace, food and hunting rights for heaps of good indian land, and moving them to poor Reservations. The Whites then breaking the treaty with the Indians if anything valuable was found on the Indian Reservations. Like gold, oil, good grazing, lumber, farmland, transportation corridors, etc.

Even though these were young preschool or grade school kids, they well understood the history of stuff the Indians had gone through. It was not a racial insult. It was an insult about bad behavior. Some might argue it is a racial slur against white people if anything, but it is idefinatly not a racial slur against indians. WonderWheeler 03:37, 18 November 2007 (UTC)

Indian Giver
Indian giver is a racist term with racist origins. To claim other wise is false. The term stems from the American Indian's lending items out to white settlers who didn't understand it was a loan. It's a wonderful thought that the phrase grows from an acknowledgement of the struggles and injustices that the Native peoples had to endure but it is not true. Also to claim that pre-school students in the 1950's understood the treatment of Native Americans is ridiculous, in the 1950's most US high school students weren't actually being taught of the unfair treatment of the Native Americans. Further despite a dispute in origin the term is considered today to be a racist term and should be avoided.

Definition is wrong
"The act of giving something to someone under the pretense that they get to keep it permanently".

Pretense?? Just wrong. Misty MH (talk) 00:06, 28 April 2021 (UTC)