Where did the phrase Indian giver derive from?

Indian giver derives from the alleged practice of American Indians of taking back gifts from white settlers. It is more likely that the settlers wrongly interpreted the Indians' loans to them as gifts. This term, which is certainly American, may have been coined to denigrate of the native race. Historians would now agree that, where deceit was concerned, it was the settlers who were the front runners. It isn't uncommon, and it could be argued that it is customary, for the conquering race to attempt to justify their invasion by dismissing the conquered as dishonest and stupid

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/202850.html

Thank you for asking. It originated from the misunderstanding on the part of the European Invaders who brought the idea with them of ownership of private property that was not practiced by the indigenous people of the lands they invaded.

Please see this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_giver

http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_253.html

mmm....someone who gives than takes later....not a good saying in the least for american culture!

(Offensive) One who gives something to another and then takes or demands the gift back.

One who takes or demands back one's gift to another, as in Jimmy wanted to take back Dan's birthday present, but Mom said that would make him an Indian giver. This term, now considered offensive, originally alluded to the Native American practice of expecting a gift in return for one that is given. [Colloquial; early 1800s]

Indian giver is an American English expression used for any individual who gives something and then either takes it back or wants to take it back.

The expression Indian giver is based on the belief that Native Americans would lend items to the settlers, in other words, let them borrow necessities. The settlers thought that this was a gift from the Native Americans; hence, they were shocked when the Native Americans asked for their items back.

Many people believe that the expression also may have derived from the Native American tribes' lack of a conception of property rights, which would have been an alien notion to European settlers, that most tribes utilized only communal property standards. However, this is patently not true, as the frequent conflicts over territory ante-dating the arrival of Europeans to the continent demonstrate. Native Americans may have had different concepts ( and, again, plural, since there was great diversity among the tribes ) of property rights from the Europeans but they definitely understood the concept and traded in property and ownership.

However, among many Aboriginal nations, to bestow something of value to another, the item was given, then taken back three times. If given a fourth time, it was considered permanent. This practice was in accordance with the philosophy that everything was cyclical and everything with a cycle was done in fours. The term has been misinterpreted by people who have little or no understanding of Aboriginal culture and has become the pejorative definition that is common today.

http://www.answers.com/Indian%20giver%20

When the Pilgrims came to Plymouth they were inadequately prepared for the winters there. The indians lent them blankets (wool or skin - don't know) to use. Once the Pilgrims had established themselves and were weaving, hunting, and making their own blankets, the Indians took their blankets back as they were no longer needed. The pilgrims, who had considered the blankets a gift, were offended. Therefore, an Indian giver is a derogatory term applied to someone who has given a gift and wants it back.

"It is unclear exactly how this expression came to be, but the general consensus is that it is based on Native Americans having a distinctly different sense of property ownership as opposed to those of European ancestry. One theory holds that early European settlers in North America misinterpreted aid and goods they received from Native Americans as "gifts," when in fact they were intended to be offered in trade, as many tribes operated economically by some form of barter system.[3] It is also theorized that this stereotype may have been coined or exaggerated by the conquering European groups to denigrate the native people as dishonest and thereby justify their conquest.[3]

Others, such as some members of the Choctaw tribe in Mississippi, believe that the term is derived from the fact that white settlers frequently made treaties or other deals with Native Americans and then reneged on them."

from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_giving#Etymology