Native American Slang, Jargon, and New Words from Double-Tongued Dictionary

Citations in the Category Native American

Native American. Associated with, special to, or from Native American (Indian) peoples or cultures. You can also see entries assigned to this category.

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bellagonna adj. We have talked to the bellagonna (which translates as non-Navajo) manager who says they’re still working towards a waiver to avoid changes. [United States Native American] [full cite] (Apr. 7, 2006)

blessing way n. He remembered the Blessing Way held when he and his cousins had left after their last furlough for Camp Pendleton and then for Saigon and Okinawa. He remembered the sweat bath and the Singer, even older than Sandoval, sprinkling his shoulders with the sacred pollen, and the old, cracked voice rising over the rhythm of the pot drum. [English Native American] [full cite] (Sep. 17, 2007)

blessing way n. The informant of the xójợ-djí, or blessing way…had little to say of additional peoples beyond the curt remark that the four clans would meet some relatives iợn the Navaho country.…Their sacred names in the xójợ-djí or blessing way. [English Native American] [full cite] (Sep. 17, 2007)

blessing way n. During pregnancy, one cares for the child by eating right and, to appease the supernaturals, by avoiding prohibited behavior such as tying knots. In addition, one participates in proper rituals, including the Blessing Way, to assure an easy delivery, promote healing, and hasten the return to harmony. [English Native American Religion] [full cite] (Sep. 17, 2007)

box-checker n. Noley and Chenault have a name for those who would use spurious ties to tribal heritage to further their employment opportunities. They call them “box-checkers.” According to Chenault, some job candidates simply “check the box” for American Indian/Alaskan Native on job forms, hoping to be identified as minority faculty and thus reap the benefits of any available affirmative action plans.…Far more objectionable than those who simply “check the box” are the “mock checkers,” says Noley. The term refers to those in academic programs who not only falsely claim tribal affiliation but also set themselves up as official purveyors of American Indian culture and religion. [English Native American Derogatory] [full cite] (Jan. 24, 2007)

chiefing n. Among coastal Indian tribes, who depend upon tourism, it is not uncommon to see them dressed as Plains Indians with full feathered headdresses and other outfits that were never their custom. It is a practice known as “chiefing,” and in some tribes it is as regulated as jewelry sales. This is the market force, ethnic-wise: coastal Indians know that they have to look like an outsider’s vision of an Indian in order to be accepted by tourists as Indian. [English Native American] [full cite] (Aug. 28, 2005)

desert nigger n. In Arizona, the Indians are called “desert niggers.” [English Native American Race Derogatory Slang] [full cite] (Nov. 8, 2007)

grandfather n. During the purification ceremonies, anywhere from four to 20 people would pack into the tarp-covered huts. The lava rocks, or grandfathers as they are called, have already been burning for hours in the wood burner. [English Native American] [full cite] (Aug. 21, 2005)

in-law chaser n. Not surprisingly, there are times when it may snow in late April or early May—this in Navajo culture is called an “In-Law Chaser.” Navajo teaching says if an in-law has a weak mind, that individual will state he or she can’t work outside because it’s snowing. Moreover, an in-law may also be afraid to travel when it snows this time of the year. It is therefore, a form of teasing in-laws yet a way of building character. [English Environment Native American Relationships Slang] [full cite] (Sep. 25, 2007)

in-law chaser n. Navajo tea/blue corn meal and quiet nights/where is the sage/the mutton stew/in-law chasers/and cool rain. [English Environment Native American Slang] [full cite] (Sep. 25, 2007)

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