Indian giver
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Indian giver is an American English expression with racist undertones used for any individual who gives something and then either takes it back or wants to take it back.
The expression Indian giver is based on the White-Native American treaties, where land would be bought from Native Americans under coercion or less than scrupulous circumstances, often for unfair prices that seemed the Native Americans were giving their land away.[1]
Many people believe that the expression also may have derived from the Native American tribes' lack of a conception of property rights and that most tribes utilized only communal property standards, which would have been an alien notion to European settlers. However, this is patently not true, as the frequent conflicts over territory ante-dating the arrival of Europeans to the continent demonstrate. Native American tribes may have had different concepts of property rights from the Europeans but they definitely understood the concept and traded in property and ownership.
However, among many Aboriginal nations, to bestow something of value to another, the item was given, then taken back three times. If given a fourth time, it was considered permanent. This practice was in accordance with the philosophy that everything was cyclical and everything with a cycle was done in fours. The term has been misinterpreted, taking on the pejorative definition that is common today.
Other sources indicate that the term Indian Giver, according to some members of the Choctaw tribe in Mississippi, is derived from the fact that Whites used to make treaties and give land and such to Indians and then renege on the aforementioned deals and treaties. Although this is disputed it is, with regard to the supporting evidence available, as plausible as any other theory and examples from the wars between the United States, Britain, France and the Native American tribes abound.
Some 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.
[edit] Usage in popular culture
- "Indian Giver" is the title of a 1969 song by 1910 Fruitgum Company, covered by The Ramones, The Rockin' Ramrods, and Joan Jett & The Blackhearts.
- The term was used in the 1990 film Total Recall, when Quaid (played by Arnold Schwarzenegger) was told by his alter ego "Sorry to be an Indian giver, but it was my body first".
- Hip-Hop artist Common used this term in his 1992 song "Take It Ez" from the album Can I Borrow a Dollar?, with the lyrics, "Nah, that's enough of that I'm like an Indian giver, yo, give me that back"
- The Jazz/Punk/Swing band Squirrel Nut Zippers have an original song called "Indian Giver" on their 1998 Christmas Caravan album.
- The phrase appears in the song "Bukowski" on the (2004) Modest Mouse album, Good News for People Who Love Bad News, in the lyric "If God takes life he's an Indian giver."
- Patsy (Judy Garland) calls Michael Moran (Mickey Rooney) an Indian-Giver when Mickey gives Baby Rosely her lead role in the musical. "Babes in Arms" (1939)
- Further use of the expression includes the TV-Shows Seinfeld[2], Curb Your Enthusiasm[3] and more recently in the Wes Anderson film The Darjeeling Limited. In Dharma and Greg[4] the phrase "Native American giver" is used.
