Thursday, November 03, 2011

9474: Giving Indians Their Due.


When discussing Kris Humphries allegedly asking Kim Kardashian to return the big ring he gave her, Kris Jenner sniffed, “I hate an Indian giver. It’s a gift, you know.” Nice.

According to Wikipedia:

Indian giver is an American English expression used to describe a person who gives a gift (literal or figurative) and later wants it back, or something equivalent in return. The term “Indian gift” was first noted in 1765 by Thomas Hutchinson, and “Indian giver” was first cited in John Russell Bartlett’s Dictionary of Americanisms (1860) as “Indian giver. When an Indian gives any thing, he expects to receive an equivalent, or to have his gift returned.” Thus it was really an exchange of gifts and not a matter of selfishness.

Nevertheless, the phrase can be considered offensive, particularly to American Indians.

It’s safe to say most self-respecting Native Americans want nothing to do with the Kardashian klan clan.

No comments: