The Spanish word mestizo is from Latin mixticius, meaning mixed. Its usage was documented as early as 1275, to refer to the offspring of an Egyptian/Afro/Hamite and a Semite/Afro Asiatic. This term was first documented in English in 1582.

Mestizo, plural mestizos, feminine mestiza, any person of mixed blood. In Central and South America it denotes a person of combined Indian and European extraction. In the Philippines “mestizo” denotes a person of mixed foreign (e.g., Chinese) and native ancestry.

Mestizos in the United States are Hispanic and Latino Americans whose racial and/or ethnic identity is Mestizo, i.e. a mixed ancestry of European and Native American from Latin America (usually Ibero-Indigenous mixed ancestry).

a person of mixed racial or ethnic ancestry, especially, in Latin America, of mixed American Indian and European descent or, in the Philippines, of mixed native and foreign descent.

Are Indigenous peoples a racial minority? Indigenous peoples are frequently classified as a racial minority. However, it is important to understand that “Native American” or “American Indian” are not strictly racial categories. Being a member of a tribal nation provides a membership status.

The consensus, however, is that whenever possible, Native people prefer to be called by their specific tribal name. In the United States, Native American has been widely used but is falling out of favor with some groups, and the terms American Indian or indigenous American are preferred by many Native people.

Indigenous peoples are the holders of unique languages, knowledge systems and beliefs and possess invaluable knowledge of practices for the sustainable management of natural resources. They have a special relation to and use of their traditional land.

‘Aborigine’ is generally perceived as insensitive, because it has racist connotations from Australia’s colonial past, and lumps people with diverse backgrounds into a single group. Without a capital “a”, “aboriginal” can refer to an Indigenous person from anywhere in the world.

Which should you use? Generally speaking, both “American Indian” and “Native American” are OK to use. Both refer to the Indigenous peoples of America.

Inuit — Inuktitut for “the people” — are an Indigenous people, the majority of whom inhabit the northern regions of Canada. An Inuit person is known as an Inuk. The Inuit homeland is known as Inuit Nunangat, which refers to the land, water and ice contained in the Arctic region.

“Inuit” is often used to encompass all Inuit and Yupik people, although I often speak of “Inuit and Yupik people” or “Inuit and Yupik languages”. “Inuit” is the plural of “inuk” meaning “person”, and “Yupik” is a singular word meaning “real person” based on the root word “yuk” meaning “person”.

An Eskimo kiss, nose kiss, or nose rub, is the act of pressing the tip of one’s nose against another’s nose, usually interpreted as a friendly greeting gesture in various cultures.