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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. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wiktionary (a portmanteau of wiki and dictionary) is a multilingual, Web-based project to create a free content dictionary, available in over 150 languages. ... For other uses, see American English (disambiguation). ...

The 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. This article is about the people indigenous to the United States. ...

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 by people who have little or no understanding of Aboriginal culture and has become 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, the evidence suggesting this is just as concrete as evidence for any other theory. This is seen several times throughout the wars concerning the United States, Britain, France, and their involvement with the Native American tribes. For other uses, see Choctaw (disambiguation). ...

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. Native Americans redirects here. ...

Usage in popular culture

Indian Giver is the title of a song by 1910 Fruitgum Company, covered (among others) by The Ramones, The Rockin' Ramrods, and Joan Jett & The Blackhearts. The Jazz / Punk / Swing band Squirrel Nut Zippers also have an original Christmas song called Indian Giver on their Christmas Caravan album. The 1910 Fruitgum Company is a bubblegum pop band of the 1960s, the name of which is from a wrapper which lead singer Frank Jeckell found in his attic. ... The Ramones (L-R, Johnny, Tommy, Joey, Dee Dee) on the cover of their debut self-titled album (1976), cementing their place at the dawn of the punk movement. ... Joan Jett (born Joan Marie Larkin on September 22, 1958 (or 1960 according to some sources) is an American rock and roll guitarist and singer. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Christmas Caravan is a Christmas album by jazz band Squirrel Nut Zippers. ...

Further use of the expression includes the TV-Shows Seinfeld^[1] and Curb Your Enthusiasm^[2]. In Dharma and Greg^[3] the phrase "Native American giver" is used. Seinfeld can refer to: Seinfeld - a popular TV series that ran 1989-1998. ... Curb Your Enthusiasm is an American comedy series (though not in the traditional sitcom format) starring Seinfeld writer, co-creator, and executive producer Larry David as himself. ... Dharma & Greg was an American television situation comedy broadcast between 1997 and 2002 on ABC. The premise of the show was a relationship between two characters regarded as cultural opposites. ...

Appears in the song Bukowski (2004, Good News for People Who Love Bad News Album) by Modest Mouse in the lyric "If God takes life he's an Indian giver." Good News for People Who Love Bad News is the fourth full-length album recorded by indie rock band Modest Mouse. ...

The term was used in the movie 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". Total Recall is an American science fiction film released on June 1, 1990, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Ronald Shusett, Dan OBannon, Jon Povill and Gary Goldman. ... Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (German pronunciation (IPA): ) (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian-American bodybuilder, actor, and politician, currently serving as the 38th Governor of the U.S. state of California. ...

On Malcom in the Middle, Hal won 3 grand from an Indian casino with Malcom's help. When confronted by the Indians he gave them the money to keep from getting banned. When the manager took the money and told Hal that he's still banned, Hal asked for the money back. The manager looked at him and said "What money?".

See also

• Manifest Destiny
• Native American name controversy

"Indian Giver" is the title of an acclaimed satiric novel published in 1983 by Gerald Duff. The protagonist is Sam Houston Leaping Deer, a Native American youth from the Alabama-Coushatta nation in East Texas, who is recruited to play basketball at the University of Illinois and who takes back from the white culture what he has loaned it. This article is about the history and influence of the concept. ... The Native American name controversy is an ongoing dispute over the acceptable ways to refer to the indigenous peoples of the Americas and to broad subsets thereof, such as those living in a specific country or sharing certain cultural attributes. ...

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