There are a variety of terms used by Native American tribes to refer to white European settlers and their descendants. Many of these terms are specific to certain tribes or language groups. Some are more general terms used across different Native American cultures. The diversity of Native American languages and cultures means there is no single universal “Native American word for white man.” However, some of the more common terms are summarized below.
Wasicu
One of the most widely used terms is “wasicu” (pronounced wah-SEE-koo). This comes from the Lakota and Dakota Sioux languages. It was adopted by other tribes across the Great Plains and Western United States. Wasicu literally means “takes the fat” or “he who eats the fatness of the land.” It refers to the Sioux perspective that white settlers consumed and used up natural resources that Native Americans relied on.
Wasicu is used broadly to refer to people of European descent. It can apply to white settlers, their institutions and culture. Some scholars translate wasicu more generally as “white man.” But it does not necessarily refer to gender. Wasicu can describe white men, women or children. It is best understood as “white people” or “white culture.”
The Sioux distinguished between wasicu and icimani (literally “real people”). Wasicu meant outsiders who did not adhere to Native cultural values. So the term makes a cultural rather than racial contrast. It was used for European settlers who seemed alien to the communal values of Sioux society.
Usage of Wasicu
Wasicu is still widely used across Sioux communities today. Young people use it casually to refer to outsiders or people behaving differently from Native norms. Activists and protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline referred to the “wasicu world” of industrial society despoiling the earth. But wasicu can also be used self-deprecatingly by Native people when joking about assimilation into white culture.
Some consider wasicu an offensive slur against whites when used dismissively. But linguists argue it is better understood as a descriptive phrase within the Sioux worldview. It reflects their conceptions of cultural differences when confronted by colonial expansion.
Yengeese
The Powhatan tribes of Virginia used the term “yengeese” to refer to English settlers in the 1600s. It was a variation of the Powhatan word yengees, meaning “people without status or honor.” This referred to the Powhatan concept of proper behavior and hospitality. The English settlers seemed strange and unrefined compared to Powhatan social norms.
Yengeese may have led to the development of the term “Yankee” in American English. This was originally used by Southern American colonists to refer to people from the Northern colonies of New England. The term Yankee may have begun as a Native American phrase to describe the English colonists in Virginia. The Powhatan pronunciation of yengeese eventually morphed into “Yankees” in English.
Other Historical Terms
Many other tribes had their own terms for Europeans derived from their languages:
- The Narragansett of Rhode Island referred to the English settlers as “sachimauog” meaning “people who are sick.” This apparently described their pale skin.
- The Lenape (Delaware) of the Northeast called them “Ondawaonk” meaning “from across the water.”
- The Shawnee called the settlers “seepowwáathe” meaning “snake people.”
- The Cherokee called them “Aniyvwiyaʔi” meaning “the real people” ironically inverting the meaning of icimani for the Sioux.
As contact increased, tribes would generally adapt terms from neighboring languages. So usage varied widely across different regions and periods.
Contemporary Usage of White Terms
Today, Wasichu (spelled in different ways) persists as the most widely used pan-Indian term for whites inherited from the Sioux language. However, some other terms are also modern shorthand for white people in casual usage:
Haole
In the Hawaiian language, haole means “foreigner” or “outsider.” It originally referred to any foreigner whether white or not. But it gradually became associated specifically with whites following colonization by Europeans and Americans. Haole became slang for any white person.
Gweilo
In Cantonese Chinese, gwái means “ghost” and lóu means “man.” Gwáilóu literally means “ghost man” and was used for Westerners and white people seen as strange and pale. Loan words from Chinese eventually produced the term gweilo in English. This is considered rude slang when referring to whites.
Gora
In languages from the Indian subcontinent, gora or gorah is a common term for white people. It means “fair” or “light-skinned” in contrast to the darker complexion of South Asians. Some linguists trace it to the Sanskrit word for wheat or light brown. It remains a mild descriptive term. But it can become a racial slur depending on the context.
Offensive Terms for Whites
Like other ethnic groups, Native Americans also developed more offensive racist terms for whites. But these are far rarer in the historical record. Some examples include:
Shetani
Among the Kiowa tribe of the Southern Plains, the term shetani referred to white men particularly those carrying whips in the era of conquest. It meant “devil” or “evil spirit” in the Kiowa language. This term expressed Kiowa fears and hatred towards cruel white overseers.
Teliki
The Chinook tribes of the Pacific Northwest used teliki to refer dismissively to whites. It meant something worthless or insignificant in their language. It conveyed a lack of respect for whites they encountered.
Kénges
This may be an Algonquin language term meaning “usurper” or “foreigner.” Some sources claim it was used in the Great Lakes region to suggest white settlers were illegitimate outsiders occupying Native territories. But historical evidence is uncertain.
These types of overtly derogatory terms seem to have been much rarer in Native languages. Even strongly anti-colonial rebels like Pontiac and Tecumseh did not tend to use blatantly racist terms in their speeches and writings.
Modern Usage
Today most Native Americans have adopted mainstream English slang like “white guy” or “white people.” Elders fluent in Native languages still understand traditional terms like wasicu or haole. But everyday usage has shifted towards English descriptions of race and ethnicity.
Younger activists may revive older terms to make statements about indigenous identity and anti-colonial politics. But this is focused more on their historical meaning than as derogatory epithets. Most Native Americans use their traditional language words for whites carefully and thoughtfully to convey cultural attitudes rather than crude racism.
Conclusion
Native American terms for white settlers reflect indigenous perspectives on the differences between their communal cultures and European individualism. Terms like wasicu emphasized spiritual values and living in harmony with nature rather than racial hatred. But they could become more hostile in the face of violent conquest and oppression. Knowledge of this complex terminology helps explain the clash of cultures that defined early encounters between whites and Native peoples. But care should be taken in using them respectfully in proper historical context today.