Edmonton Eskimos must change offensive name, Inuit leader says

[taco.vidal]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmont...ange-1.3341466

There are growing calls for the Edmonton Eskimos to change their name.

On Friday the Ottawa Citizen published an editorial calling the name offensive to Canada's indigenous community.

On Sunday the Eskimos play the Ottawa Redblacks in Winnipeg for the Grey Cup, the Canadian Football League championship.

Natan Obed, president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, the national Inuit organization, says the term is derogatory and symbolizes colonial policies. He said the team needs to change its name.

"If I was called an Eskimo or introduced as an Eskimo by anyone else, I would be offended by that," he said. "It is something that was acceptable at one time but now just isn't.

"It's time for the team to change its name. And it's time also for all sports teams to change their names if they continue to use indigenous people as their mascots."

It doesn't appear that will happen soon, though. A spokesman for the Edmonton Eskimos said the organization has no plans to change the name.

[Harry Lime]

Redblacks is probably more offensive than Eskimo.

[sharkov]

Maybe because being associated with the city of Edmonton is the offensive part.

[MRCboicgy]

Not to defend anything Edmonton here, but I think this is just media grabbing.
When I went on a business trip to Anchorage, I made the mistake of saying Inuit. I was harshly rebuked that Eskimo was the proper term.
Unlike the Washington NFL team, the team up north there doesn't use any first nations imagry, as their mascot is a polar bear.. Also, there is the American Eskimo dog breed and all too.

[Fire of the Phoenix]

Some people are only happy when they're foaming at the mouth, outraged over this or that. Must be fun to go through life like that.

[FlamingHomer]

Personally, I would love to have a team named after me.

[chedder]

Originally Posted by MRCboicgy

Not to defend anything Edmonton here, but I think this is just media grabbing.
When I went on a business trip to Anchorage, I made the mistake of saying Inuit. I was harshly rebuked that Eskimo was the proper term.
Unlike the Washington NFL team, the team up north there doesn't use any first nations imagry, as their mascot is a polar bear.. Also, there is the American Eskimo dog breed and all too.

You were in 'murica where this still use the word Indians too.

[topfiverecords]

Green Blacks is available.

[Vulcan]

What I've heard is that the word Eskimo is what the Cree called the Inuit. From what I've been told the two were enemies so the Cree word could be a derogatory term. I'm fine with calling people what they want to be referred to as, it's a sign of respect. Here's a maybe whitewashed explanation of the Cree term.

http://www.native-languages.org/iaq23.htm

and yeah, I'm against using indigenous names as team names.

[edn88]

Any team name starting with Edmonton is offensive.

[PsYcNeT]

Is this the thread where white people tell non-white people how to feel?

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by PsYcNeT

Is this the thread where white people tell non-white people how to feel?

"I'm not offended by it so I don't accept that those who are actually referred to by that term are?"

[troutman]

If I recall correctly, Eskimo was a Cree slur meaning "raw meat eaters".

http://www.native-languages.org/iaq23.htm

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eskimo

[btimbit]

Originally Posted by MRCboicgy

Not to defend anything Edmonton here, but I think this is just media grabbing.
When I went on a business trip to Anchorage, I made the mistake of saying Inuit. I was harshly rebuked that Eskimo was the proper term.
Unlike the Washington NFL team, the team up north there doesn't use any first nations imagry, as their mascot is a polar bear.. Also, there is the American Eskimo dog breed and all too.

Same experience as I had in Inuvik and Tuktoyuktuk. They wanted to be called Eskimos

[troutman]

Originally Posted by FlamingHomer

Personally, I would love to have a team named after me.

The Crackers?

[CaptainCrunch]

Maybe these people should actually look into why the team is named the way it was before they start tilting at windmills.

And really the timing speaks to someone who wants to get mentioned in a news paper.

There are bigger insults and tragedies in the world that we should be upset about.

[Mister Yamoto]

I'm really on board with the hate on for native imagery in sports. These racist team nicknames must be changed.

Bashing teams that use native imagery on internet message boards lets me feel good about myself for being not racist and best of all it lets me help natives without having to let one on my jobsite or into my house.

[Puppet Guy]

Originally Posted by troutman

If I recall correctly, Eskimo was a Cree slur meaning "raw meat eaters".

http://www.native-languages.org/iaq23.htm

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eskimo

...which makes it a PERFECT name for a football team.

[RougeUnderoos]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

Maybe these people should actually look into why the team is named the way it was before they start tilting at windmills.

And really the timing speaks to someone who wants to get mentioned in a news paper.

There are bigger insults and tragedies in the world that we should be upset about.

Well obviously the timing isn't an accident. If you want to draw attention to an issue, you tend to try to, umm, draw attention to an issue.

And of course there are bigger insults and tragedies in the world. I saw the guy on CBC and he didn't say otherwise. He didn't even HINT that this was the biggest tragedy in the world. It's obviously a concern for some people though.

[calgaryblood]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

Maybe these people should actually look into why the team is named the way it was before they start tilting at windmills.

And really the timing speaks to someone who wants to get mentioned in a news paper.

There are bigger insults and tragedies in the world that we should be upset about.

Why can't we be upset at more than one issue?

Every time something offensive comes up and when no one has a defence but they really feel like they should say "there are worse things in the world"

Like ok let's talk about all the missing and exploited aboriginal women in Canada. That a big enough issue for you to care about?