Expressions & Proper Meanings

What is an Indian Giver?

• An Indigenous woman who has been given away by her father during a wedding

• A person who gifts something and takes it back

• An indigenous wife who gives away her husband

• An elder who is very giving

What does "circle the wagons" mean?

• Drawing circles on wagons

• A group of Indigenous people dancing around a wagon

• A group who come together for a common purpose of defense

• A wagon that drives in a circle to create crop circles

What does "low man on the totem pole" mean?

• Shortest man in the room

• The least favourite person in the room

• The person with the least experience

• A person who can limbo under a totem pole...how low can you go?

Rain dance is often used in conversation. What does it really mean?

• It is a ceremony

• Putting on rubber boots and dancing in the rain

• All those 80's kids dancing to Purple Rain

• An Indigenous person tap dancing to "Rain Drops Keep Falling On My Head"

What does "too many chiefs, not enough Indians" mean?

• Too many Chiefs at a birthday party

• Too many Indigenous men not enough Indigenous women to love

• Lyrics to a Dean Martin song

• Too many leaders, not enough followers

Which use of Pow Wow in conversation is correct?

• Saying "we are going to pow wow" when friends gather to chat

• To explain a gathering where there will be dancing, singing, and food

• When you punch or hit someone in the face - it goes "pow" and then you say "wow"

• Saying "we are going to pow wow in the board office" to describe a work meeting

Indian summer is a reference to what?

• An indigenous man sun tanning in the summer.

• A girl named Summer, who's Indian and a celebrity

• An Indigenous child counting down until summer vacation

• Mild, summerlike weather that occurs after the first frost in October

To what does "Indian Time" refer?

• An Indigenous person who is always running late

• Asking an indigenous person for the time

• Running a race where the official timer is Indigenous

• Lyrics to a Biggie Song