Christopher Columbus was looking for an east-west passage to India when he arrived at the Americas. Since he thought he was in India, he named the inhabitants “Indians.”

The correct tag for these indigenous people probably should be First Americans. The term Native Americans may be misleading because the first people in the Americas are believed to have arrived from Asia.

So, if we use First Americans as a label, and remove the term “Indian” when referring to the people, schools still could use “Indians” as a team name — simply as a token of respect for the cause of discovery of our country.

Let us understand and respect each other.

Scott Tenney

South Gardiner