What are your impressions about Native Americans?

They are not from India, don't call them Indians.

Yes, I've met a member of a First Nation. I've been to reservations, and find them to be quite demoralizing.

You have to understand, that the First Nations of North America lived in harmony with nature in a way that is hard for us to understand. The Gods for First Nations were to a large extent based in nature and they held a reverence for the land. They lived in such a manner that there way of life could have continued for many thousands of years. (Bear in mind, they were here about 7,000 years prior to European contact).

European contact brought disease and division. In some cases - the Beothuk of Newfoundland - it brought genocide. No person of Beothuk descent is alive today due to systemic killing of these people.

I could apologize to a person of native descent - but it would be case of far too little, far too late.

The more you study the First Nations way of life, the greater your respect for them will be.

I lived among the Navajo as a child, and the Hopi and the Zuni. They are human beings with pretty much the same wishes and goals as any other race of people. They laugh, they cry, they love. They experience pain, they bleed, they heal, they sing, they dance, they pray. I used to watch the morningsinger go to the edge of the mesa to sing the sun up. I've marvelled at the Shalako with the other village children. I've been the only "white" (Irish) child in the village.

I remember many of my playmates from back then with great fondness, and a couple of 'em - well, let's just say nobody gets along perfectly with everybody.

I remember sitting in the Kiva watching and listening raptly to the tales, the stories, the myths of deeply spiritual peoples. I remember the stores of Spider Grandmother, Hosteen Coyote and Snake. And when I lived among the Inuit many years later, I learned how Raven made the world and how Man got fire. I greet all Indians as I greet any other human being - with courtesy and respect - unless he is a stinker, in which case all bets are off!

Of course I've met a "real" Indian. In fact, I'm part Cherokee.

I've been through Sioux reservations and I've been through some local ones around where I live. I think that much reservation life is horrible and it saddens me.

I think that Indian's have been through Hell just to preserve life. I think that they are still treated like crap by our government.

I think that little children are lied to about how evil the Indians were to pioneers...In fact I know they are. I had words with my son's moron teacher just this past year regarding this topic.

And when I've met "real" Indians, I talk to them like I would anyone else. They are human beings. Mutual respect and and offering of friendship often work nicely.

My impressions are as they have been for others; everyone is a person, a human being not a race, nationality. They are no different on the inside like everyone else. Your question about what would you say to a real Indian is ridiculous, That's like someone saying what would you say to a white, Chinese, Russian etc. person. You'd say the same thing you would as if the person were a friend, you know hello, how are you etc. You need to use common courtesy to everyone regardless of differences.

I have actually traveled around South Dakota meeting several members of the Lakota, Nakota, and Dakota tribes. They are just regular humans like us as people and many of them are very nice. Unfortunately they still face many problems being discriminated against and there is a long way to go before we can heal the wounds left by how horrible the United States was to the Native American tribes during western expansion.

I am a 'real' Indian. Part Cherokee, Iriquois, and Blackfoot. I am very proud of my heritage, probably because my great-grandfather was so proud. He was 75% Cherokee Indian, and while his entire family (mother, father, sisters, and brother) ignored or even denied the Indian heritage, he was extremely proud of it. I love the look of everything indian. Dreamcatchers, hunting, nature. what more could you ask for? We gave up most of our heritage for the white people who moved here and took our land. They even went so far as to give us diseases, and kill us off, even though we were willing to share our land, it was not enough. We were willing to show them how to live off this new land, and it was still not enough.

It always floored me in school when they would talk about Christopher Columbus 'discovering' America. The Indians were already here, America was already discovered.

I probably wouldn't say anything. I'm not prone to talk to random strangers.

I don't "think" much of anything about Native Americans beyond what I "think" about everyone else.