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A pygmy is a member of an ethnic group whose average height is unusually short; anthropologists define pygmy as a member of any group where adult men are on average less than 150 cm (59 inches) tall. A member of a slightly taller group is termed "pygmoid".The term is best associated with peoples of Central Africa, such as the Aka, Efé and Mbuti. There are also pygmies in Australia, Thailand, Malaysia, the Andaman Islands[4] Indonesia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, and Brazil, including some Negritos of Southeast Asia.

The term "pygmy" is sometimes considered pejorative. However, there is no single term to replace it.Many prefer to be identified by their ethnicity, such as the Aka (Mbenga), Baka, Mbuti, and Twa. The term Bayaka, the plural form of the Aka/Yaka, is sometimes used in the Central African Republic to refer to all local pygmies. Likewise, the Kongo word Bambenga is used in Congo.

American Indians is a broad term for a member of any of the natives of the Western Hemisphere, except the Eskimos and Aleuts. Their ancestors were nomadic hunters.   

The North American Indians or the Red Indians (as they are better known) lived in the United States long before Columbus. Several tribes of American Indians lived in the area between the Canadian border and what is now the state of Florida. Among the several tribes, some of them were peace loving and some others were warlike. The Sioux tribe belongs to this latter category. The word Sioux means enemy. Some of them were hunters and some others were fishermen. Some preferred to be seed-gatherers in the arid deserts of the west and lived in caves and rock shelters.