For those who are convinced that Indian is inherently offensive, the compound American Indian may seem just as unacceptable, but for others the term offers a useful alternative where Native American might seem too formal or anachronistic and Indian alone either too casual or ambiguous. In principle, American Indian can apply to all native peoples throughout the Americas except the Eskimos and Aleuts, but in practice it is generally restricted to the peoples of the United States and Canada. For native peoples of Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and South America, Indian or the less frequent Amerindian are better choices: the Indian civilizations of Mexico and Peru, the Amerindians of the Guyana highlands.
