Nope, not a dumb question. A dumb question is the one that's never asked.
No, Indian isn't offensive. Actually most of us old ndns prefer Indian over the political correct Native American, although many of the young uns say Native American.
Hell, we're all, every one of us that's born here, Native Americans, it's just that some of us Native Americans are ndn.
The reason for ndn or indin or Indin is because thats the way we ndns pronounce the word. Raggie got it right in that it is said fast and short.
As to Yvsa, Yvsa is slang for yanasa or in another Tsalagi dialect, yanisse. Yanisse being syllabled out as ya-ni-s-se and yanasa as ya-na-sa.
Norm has it pretty close as Yuh-suh but it has a nasal tone in it between the syllables. Kis does it more correctly in his
Yuh n suh.
Yvsa or the other two ways is the Cherokee word for Buffalo. The public part of my ndn name is Yvsa Gigagei or Buffalo Red which when translated comes out to Red Buffalo.
The name Red Buffalo comes from the ndn name for the Prairie Fire which when it was burning sounded like a herd of stampedeing buffalo.
The prairie fire was utmost in it's destruction but right behind it came the refreshing, life giving rain, that when mixed with the ashes of the fire made for the absolute best growing conditions known to man at the time. After the rain the prarie blossemed with all kinds of beautiful flowers and tender grasses the buffalo and other animals love. So the prairie fire not only represents destruction on the one hand, more importantly it represents new growth on the other.
Sometimes it's a hard name to live up to but I always manage somehow it seems. At least I, and the elders above me are satisfied.
