Hi. I wonder what Native Americans originally called themselves. Did they have an umbrella term or common name for the people who lived in north/central/south America before people of other nations settled down? It can hardly be Native Americans. I don´t call myself "Native Norwegian" even though I am 100% Norwegian and my ancestors are mostly of Norwegian origin.
I know that there are tribal groups like Apache and Cherokee. Like in Norway we have Samer or Sami people, but they are still considered to be Norwegians. Of course I am aware that the term "Indian" is not the correct way to put it either. Because of the discovery of America and Christopher Columbus confusing America for being India and so forth. So if anyone are to say Indian (at least here in Norway) most of the time someone will correct you and say that Native American is the right name to use and that it is offensive to say otherwise. But I don´t feel that using Native American is any better.
Of what I have heard the term Native American is a result of europeans coming to America and labelling themself as "Americans", and therefore conclude that Native Americans is the right term to use for the people who lived there before them. I just find it weird.
Please don´t think that this is an attempt to insult anyone. This is just a thought that struck me yesterday.
I'm not sure if I understand the question. Just to clarify, are you asking if there was a pre-contact term used to refer to all American aboriginals collectively?
I cannot speak for what any given person may find offensive, but here in the United States "Indian" is still a common and accepted term. The Department of the Interior has the "Bureau of Indian Affairs", and many Tribal governments cheerfully refer to themselves as this-or-that indian tribe.
"Indian" refers to any of the native peoples of the New World. "Native American" is also commonly used. There may be some who consider the term "Native American" to be too USA-centered. For instance, the Canadian government [Edit: in at least some case in the past, not currently widespread] refers to the indigenous inhabitants of that land as "Native Canadians".
Keeping in mind that all different amerindian nations had different cultures and languages, and that they never unified in any meaningfull way, I don't believe there is a full and meaningfull answer to your question.
I suggest, however, that we take a look at the names the various groups gave themselves and what they mean:
The Inuit and Innu both designated themselves by a term meaning "people". So do the Eastern Cree which use the term "Eeyou" (the people).
Some nations had (have) terms signifiying the human race in it's entirety, but without the North American component, which would make sense givent they had no notion of lands beyond North America. For instance, the Cree would call the Human race as a whole "Ayisiniwiniwiwin" (Dictionnaire de la langue des Cris, Alb. Lacombe, 1874)
So I'd say that inasmuch it was possible for amerindians to grasp the concept of lands beyond North America (and it mostly wasn't) and make a semantic distinction between these and those, they would have used their individual term for "people" or "Human race" and applied a local modifier with the general meaning of "here".
As to your question of "what did they call themselves", the answer is kind of tricky.
Today, speaking English, they are likely to refer to themselves collectively as "Indians", "Native Americans", or "First Nations". When not specifically drawing a distinction between their heritage and the majority European immigrant culture, they may refer to their Tribal or National affiliation.
In North America, contact with Europeans began around the year 1500. The local people recognized them as human, and of a different nation from themselves. Rather soon, they would usually encounter other new peoples from the sea, who were different than the first ones they met. This would add them to the list of "other peoples out there". No special importance was attached to the difference between "European Nations" and "Indian Nations" until much later, about the 1800s. In the meantime, the French, Spanish, English, etc, were just more Tribes to deal with. Native languages developed words for "Frenchman", "Englishman", etc, just as Europeans began to name the various native peoples as "Delaware", "Illinois", "Sioux", etc.
By about the 1800s, Indians began to feel a wider sense of difference between native peoples and European peoples. Some Europeans had felt this way all along, while others had seen the natives as little different from any other unchristianized people.
You are not likely to find many indigenous words for "Indian" or "Native" until about this period.
I know I didn't directly answer your question, but I hope this helps.