I
recently heard a woman ignorantly use the term "Indian Giver." What a
horrible term. It was the White settlers who stole from the Indians,
raped their daughters, killed them, and confiscated their land. And
then to add insult to injury, they labeled the Indians as being
homosexuals, liars and barbarians.
Here is the origin of the term "Indian Giver":
Indian giver derives from the alleged practise of American Indians of taking back gifts from white settlers. It is more likely that the settlers wrongly interpreted the Indians' loans to them as gifts. This term, which is certainly American, may have been coined to denigrate of the native race. Historians would now agree that, where deceit was concerned, it was the settlers who were the front runners. It isn't uncommon, and it could be argued that it is customary, for the conquering race to attempt to justify their invasion by dismissing the conquered as dishonest and stupid.
The phrase is quite early in the history of the the USA. Thomas Hutchinson described the term as proverbial as early as 1765, in his The history of the Province of Massachusetts Bay:
"An Indian gift is a proverbial expression, signifying a present for which an equivalent return is expected."
Prior to that in England the word Indian was used disparagingly to denote those English people who had spent time in India and, as such, were considered infra-dig. Eliza Haywood's, The history of Miss Betsy Thoughtless (1751) describes such a person as "this young Indian."
The term is a racial stereotype of the Indian race. I think the term "Lying White Man" is more accurate.
Times Haven't Changed
As I pondered over the horrible term, "Indian Giver," which is used to degrade and stereotype the Indian culture, I couldn't help but think about the War in Iraq, and how history always repeats itself. The White man is just as ruthless, unfair, and murderous today as he was 500 years ago. The United States violated the Ten Commandments by invading Iraq on the basis of a lie (Exodus 20:16), killing their citizens (Exodus 20:13), and stealing their oil (Exodus 20:15). The criminal elite who are in control of America have been coveting Iraq's oil for decades (Exodus 20:17). The American people are guilty as a nation for the atrocities in Iraq. We have much blood on our hands. We are responsible for the actions of OUR political leaders, who do what they do in OUR name, and with OUR money. It is OUR fault. We are in serious trouble with God as a nation.
Just as the White settlers who coveted and stole the Indian's land, possessions and wives — so have Americans raped, pillaged, and stolen from the Iraqi people. And then to add insult to injury, we label them as "terrorists." It is Americans who are the terrorists. We are the one's who attack the innocent — destroying people's homelands, killing off the weak, murdering little babies, and invading innocent nations.
America is The Great Satan! If that offends you, so be it. We sing God Bless America, while flocking to SIN CITY Las Vegas by the millions. We cry for more laws to protect our children from sex-perverts, while Victoria's Secret is lewdly displayed everywhere we go in public. We preach to our kids about the dangers of Underage Drinking, while ignoring the exact same dangers of Adult Drinking. Hypocrites!
I DON'T support the war in Iraq. How could any Christian support a war based upon a BIG LIE? You are supporting the theft of Iraq's oil. No alleged Weapons of Mass Destruction have ever been found; but the plundering and theft of Iraq continue. President George W. Bush thinks it's a funny joke. So sad. "Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning!" (Ecclesiastes 10:16). America has little respectable leadership, certainly none in The White House. It's time for Christians in America to WAKE UP!
No one should ever use the malicious term "Indian Giver"; but if you want to epitomize thievery, brutality, and the criminal mind... look no further than our government leaders in Washington D.C. and what they're doing in Iraq.
