What does the term 'Indian giver' mean and where did it originate from?
814884
Indian giver is an American English expression used for any individual who gives something and then either takes it back or wants to take it back.\n\nThe expression Indian giver is based on the belief that Native Americans would lend items to the settlers, in other words, let them borrow necessities. The settlers thought that this was a gift from the Native Americans; hence, they were shocked when the Native Americans asked for their items back.\n\nThe expression also may have derived from the Native American tribes lack of a conception of property rights, which would have been an alien notion to European settlers. Most tribes utilized only communal property standards.\n\nSome consider the phrase a racial stereotype because using the term to denote a person who takes back what they previously gave implies that Native Americans might commonly practice this. It also uses the term Indian to denote Native American, which can be offensive to some.
376387
Indians had a different idea of possesion than we do.  They're idea was one where the community owned personal property, to be borrowed and passed around for what little they had.  We have a personal view of ownership.
1130322
Sanskrit is the name of language originated from India..
354514
Nobody really knows where the term Hoosier comes from.  There are some popular guesses, but the fact that there are about five different popular guesses just goes to show that no one really knows where the term originated.  The clip that Annie posted in her answer is a good example of how no one knows.  I would recommend reading the rest of her clip at the link she gave.  It is interesting.
363947
Brave.  I am part Indian and Indian-giver derives from the white man's innability to keep treaties with various Indian tribes-- not from the actions of the Indian Peoples.
1170053
Are you an Indian giver? Pardon the pun (it's an American pun) .But you are right the Brits should give something back to India this would be a good start.
831900
First of all the word Thanks giving came about when the pilgrims\nand indians came together and feast in peace and harmony. That is why we feast every year to remember not only what we are thankful for but to remember those who created this wonderful holiday!
929563
We feel Proud to Be Indian as we are richest person in the basis of the Culture The india was there in the ancient period Itself that is from the Vedic Period itself and it was called as the Punniya Boomi Because of its cultural Heritage here we even have the Practice of giving Food even to the DEAD.
232601
The question isn't who originated scalping, the question is which Plains tribe was the first to adopt the practice. No implication in the question that some Plains tribe invented the practice.\n\nSo, it is impossible to know the answer to that question, because by the time systematic ethnographic descriptions of the Plains were produced, the settlers had effectively disrupted the various Plains cultures and warfare and scalping were at an end.\n\nFor what it is worth, the historic record from Europe records scalping as a practice back to the Classical period. However, that does not mean that no one ever took a scapl until the Europeans arrived in North America. It is likely that this practice, which was found in various forms throughout the world, was independently invented many times. \n\nLet's note that slavery and human sacrifice were practiced in the Americas before the settlers arrived.
100217
Roger, you are asking a lot of questions about India (mostly ancient India.  Are you writing a term paper or something?  The wording of this one is the worst I've seen.\n\nWhen writing about either American Indian, or Asian Indian, you use a capital letter.
1094570
India comes from the word Sindhu( a name for the river Indus)>>converted to Indus river by the British and then the place came to be known as India.\n\nWhy the Britishers started calling it this way was because they couldnt pronounce it in any other way.India sounds anglisized and they wanted such a name for their colony.\n\nSindhu came to be known as Hindu and the place was called Hindustan by Moghuls.This was the name convinient for the muslim invaders.\n\nHowever,to put "the meaning of India" in one word, that word is yajna - sacrifice. The true meaning of sacrifice is the renunciation of the ego to the higher, universal Self. And that universal Self, which is to be found in our own deepest nature, is being, consciousness and joy. In total sacrifice lies total freedom. Yajna means giving up greed, taking from the earth only enough to meet our basic needs and returning as sacrifice what earth and nature so freely give. This eternal wisdom of India is so much needed in our time when materialism is dominating our culture.
250105
i think that india is a truly seular country.  \n\nsee you talk about special priviliges being given to christians and muslims.  ok i agree that uniform civil code must be there. but why do people keep harping about the fact that special priviliges are being given to only the minority communities.\n\nwhereas hindus also enjoy some very special financial priviliges.  i dont know if u are aware about the hindu undivided family act wherein hindu families get lots of tax concessions.\n\nmoreover in a plural society u gotta give special treatment to people who r in minority so that they feel safe.\n\neven the americans do it with the afro-americans so whats wrong...
481229
"because it happens only in india"\n\nfirst of all they distribute people by their casts\nafter it they distribute them by religion,\nand at last they distribute them by regions and areas.\n\nthis answer is from an indian\n"Dhanraj Vadher"
90196
It is a cultural mannerism.  People from India shake their heads to show approval and acceptance of an idea.
34296
To distinguish them from Indians form India.
175574
Well there is a few explanations.\n\nFirst is the whole columbus thing that a few people have posted.\n\nSecond, was the jesuit missonarys refered to the 'natives in some of their writings to the king of england as "in deus" meaning close to god or in god, therefore leading us to be called indians.\n\nthird is we crossed the land bridge between siria and alaska meaning we migrated somewhere from siria or india, however this fact was later disputed due to archological finds predating this concept.
1170816
This originated in the early 1980s. It is generally regarded as an American expression. This item from the New York newspaper the Syracuse Herald-American, Feb. 1982, which is the earliest version in print that I can find, puts that in some doubt. It's in a piece by Jerry Buck, writing out of Los Angeles, about actress Lauren Tewes