Difference between Indian and indigenous

The difference between Indian and indigenous is that Indian is the gentilicio of those born in India, instead, indigenous is the original or native inhabitant of a place.

The word Indian is also considered a synonym of indigenous and, despite being accepted and disseminated, it is originally a misconception that begins when Christopher Columbus uses it to name the inhabitants of America when he arrived on the continent in 1492, believing he had arrived in India.

Due to this initial misinterpretation, the word Indian has been used in parallel with the word indigenous to refer to the indigenous peoples, causing the current confusion.

Due to the derogatory sense that Indian denotes for many of the indigenous peoples in America, the American countries prefer to use the word indigenous as it is more correct and precise.

The issue of the use of Indian or indigenous is controversial, since, after years of struggle for indigenous rights, whether territorial or cultural, many have adopted the word Indian with pride because it carries the symbolism of misunderstanding and repression along with its native origin American.