Eskimos: change your name

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maxlion
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JohnnyMusso wrote:
Fri Nov 10, 2017 9:15 am
Yesterday, the Edmonton mayor called for the Eskimos to change the name and a representative of the Inuit community called for it too.

It is true back when they selected the name, Inuit was not used, it was Eskimo. I remember that from my childhood growing up in the 60's. It was not offensive or derogatory then.

But now it is and I now feel they should change it and probably will in the future.

The answer is simple. Just change it to Edmonton Inuit. They named themselves after the group, so they can still do that, but now go with what is acceptable now Inuit than Eskimo. I doubt they do that, but that is my suggestion.
It would be more accurate to say that, in the past, the term eskimo was not broadly understood by mainstream society to be offensive. However, it has never been the self-designated term that the northern indigenous people of Canada have used to identify themselves. From day 1, it was a term imposed inaccurately and improperly by colonial administration. Nevertheless, it was broadly used because nobody listened or cared to what the people themselves wanted or felt.

Changing the Edmonton CFL team name to Inuit does not in any way address the concerns of the Inuit Council or the various groups lobbying for sports teams to stop using indigenous people as mascots.
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Toppy Vann
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I think changing the name to the Inuit would be silly. Maybe the Edmonton Pussies would satisfy their Mayor as that is what he's acting like. I mean a kitten here BTW.

I think we should get a petition to end one of the oldest landmark restaurants in BC - The Tomahawk Barbeque in North Van.

http://tomahawkrestaurant.com/

http://tomahawkrestaurant.com/history.html
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JohnnyMusso
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Maxlion wrote:
Nevertheless, it was broadly used because nobody listened or cared to what the people themselves wanted or felt.

I think more accurately would be the governments and media did not care for I was born in 1963 and I never heard the term Inuit used till the 1980's. The general population did not know. That is why terms like Eskimo and Indian were frequently used. And I have meet many First Nation people who still refer to themselves as Indian. So even among the First Nation communities, the term is still used by people.

As for last statement - various groups lobbying for sports teams to stop using indigenous people as mascots. It will never happen. The more offensive names will change, but ones like Black Hawks will not change. I really do not see that one as offensive and really no different than New York using Yankees, which is refers to Northern Americans and term often used in an unflattering way by the South, who hated Yankees. If you change the Black Hawks, I agree with some where will it end.
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Belize City Lion
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BC should also change their name because they are named for geological formations on the North Shore Mountains. Having a feline for a mascot is offensive to mountain climbers and geologists.
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javiermq78
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I think that some of those team names are offensive to one degree or another, including the Eskimos. However, politicians and citizens should be more concerned with matters that are much more relevant than forms of entertainment.

Speaking of names, in the US there are streets named Montezuma (it's actually Moctezuma), and a city named La Jolla (it's actually La Joya). These mistakes are not offensive, but do expose a lack of culture and education. What's next, Americans thinking that 5 de Mayo is Mexican Independence Day? Oh wait...
JohnnyMusso
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The mayors are doing this likely for political reasons. You wonder if they really care. I do not trust politicians. It is up to the Eskimos to decid. If they want to keep it, people need to accept it and move on. Even heard there was a petition against the Black Hawks name and because they use an Native American for their logo.

While Redskins, Eskimos and the Indians are offensive and I include the last one in there for there logo is pretty offensive for they way they portray an Native American , names like Black Hawks I do not find offensive and if they change their name, where does it end.

As for using the name Inuit, I just mentioned that because Eskimo is now Inuit. As for the name, it does not sound great and would be viewed as being a too political correct name.
maxlion
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JohnnyMusso wrote:
Fri Nov 10, 2017 10:41 am
Maxlion wrote:
Nevertheless, it was broadly used because nobody listened or cared to what the people themselves wanted or felt.

I think more accurately would be the governments and media did not care for I was born in 1963 and I never heard the term Inuit used till the 1980's. The general population did not know. That is why terms like Eskimo and Indian were frequently used. And I have meet many First Nation people who still refer to themselves as Indian. So even among the First Nation communities, the term is still used by people.
Yes, of course it comes down to incorrect information being propagated by government and media. While racism was and is very prevalent among the general population, it is unfair to make a blanket statement about all individuals.

You are also right that many First Nations people refer to themselves as Indian, just as some African Americans use the word *beep*. However, this is really a different and more complex issue that isn’t directly relevant to the topic at hand. The bottom line is, if you go to a reservation and refer to the people as Indians, you are asking for trouble.
JohnnyMusso
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Indian is not on the same lever as ni****. A similar name would be Negro. There are far worse names people used to call Native Canadians or Americans than Indian.

As for your last statement, well I have been on reservations before. I don't think I used Indian and do not remember if they did. But I found the people to be very welcoming and friendly. Sadly, the living conditions in particular on Klemtu were not great. Though way better than the old days.

As for the topic at hand, well it will be resolved soon. Eskimos will make a statement on it after the Grey Cup. My bet is they do not change the name after the season.
Blitz
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Here is an article on the topic plus readers comments from the National Post.
Colby Cosh: Fight on, Eskimos. But we all know you can't win this one

November 10, 2017

I will admit it: in my heart I have already said farewell to the team's nickname, "the Eskimos"

As a lifelong fan of the Canadian Football League’s Edmonton Eskimos, I will admit it: in my heart I have already said farewell to the team’s nickname. Edmonton-area sports teams have been calling themselves the “Eskimos” for well over a century—long enough, in fact, that they were doing so when the spelling “Esquimaux” still had a toehold in English.

The franchise itself, which is community-owned, insists that it has no plans to surrender to those who think calling a football team “the Eskimos” is offensive or unkind.

You can see the problem: even a word like “surrender” is fraught with contentious implications. But this seems like an impossible battle for the team to win—an argument you lose in the act of making it, if you are not Inuit. I strongly suspect the leadership of the football Eskimos realizes this.

The debate over the Edmonton Eskimos resurfaced this week when the mayor of Winnipeg, Brian Bowman, said he would like to see the nickname changed as his city prepares to host Capital of Alberta Football Club in a playoff game. Instead of dismissing this request as a distracting competitive ploy, Edmonton’s mayor, Don Iveson, agreed with Bowman.

He even suggested the name change should happen before Edmonton hosts the CFL championship game in 2018.

This seems like an impossible battle for the team to win.

I see the Eskimos’ front office as playing for time. (The team’s marketing, I notice, places increasingly strong emphasis on the word “Empire.”) It seems careless for Iveson to inject a fake deadline into this subtle process in order to earn applause, even if you agree with him. As operators of a community business in Iveson’s city, the Eskimos’ executives are in a tricky position. Some Eskimo supporters—co-owners—will be furious if the name is changed, no matter what. And there will be hard financial costs to a change.

But one cannot talk about the strong feelings of Edmonton toward its football team and then dismiss or downplay the feelings of the Inuit about the word “Eskimo.” No, this is not a case like that of the Washington Redskins, where the name of the team is uncontroversially and clearly an ethnic slur. The football Eskimos have been better at avoiding insulting caricature than, say, the Cleveland Indians. Ethnographically, “Eskimo” is not even equivalent to “Inuit”: there are non-Inuit peoples who call themselves Eskimos.

And while I wish this was recognized by people who write about the debate, as a matter of accuracy and fairness, it does not add up to much as an argument for keeping the team name in the face of anybody’s bad feelings about it. “Eskimo” is a term that has been applied to the Inuit; whatever the word’s precise denotation, it is not the preferred cognomen of the Inuit for themselves; and some of them obviously associate it with a history of racism and government mistreatment. It is not really for anyone else—bluntly, it is not for me—to tell the Inuit that these associations are imaginary or inconsequential.

The head of the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, Natan Obed, is a determined advocate of changing the football team’s name. It seems to be the case that some Inuit are comfortable with the name of the CFL Eskimos, and think that Obed’s position is contrived attention-grabbing. Opinion among the Inuit could hardly be other than divided: hell, it is not too hard to find American aboriginal people who think “Washington Redskins” is just fine.
What strikes me is that Tapiriit and its leaders have to be taken pretty seriously as an envoy of the Inuit people.

It is not a government, but it has a lot of the characteristics pertaining to one for the purpose of this discussion: for one, Obed is an elected representative. Both those words are important. So if we are tempted to say that he doesn’t speak for Canada’s Inuit, and start nose-counting among the people that chose him collectively, we are… well, maybe the appropriate metaphor is a football one: “moving the goalposts.”

Of course the team should consult widely among the Inuit, as it assures us it is already doing. But speaking for myself, I have watched white journalists raise questions about the Eskimos nickname for a long time, and my question was always, “Very well, but what do the Inuit as a group really make of it?”

Of course the team should consult widely among the Inuit.

As attached as I am to the “Edmonton Eskimos” brand—which is, in the end, just a brand—it would not be fair for me to now say, “Gosh, I guess I just don’t like Obed’s answer.” And I see no real prospect of his answer being reversed or opposed by a wave of passionate positive support from northern Eskies fans of Inuit ethnicity.

It might be one thing if changing “Eskimos” required an expensive redesign of uniforms and other football paraphernalia, but the costs, while real, will be limited. The team has been downplaying the ethnic-signifier aspect of “Eskimos” for decades: it doesn’t even need to change helmets as long as the new nickname starts with an E.

Stationery isn’t that expensive. And goodwill counts too: it is real enough to businesses to appear on balance sheets. I will miss my familiar Edmonton Eskimos, and I don’t know what we’ll do about the fight song, but I am ready.

Comments

Linda Blanchard ·
University of Alberta
umm, some people have too much time on their hands and perhaps want 15 minutes of fame and can say "see what I just made them do". Just say no, otherwise there are going to be so many changes out there, no one will be able to talk, sign, name or even think of words before they get into trouble. Common sense is needed not giving in to every whim.

Alex Draper ·
Edmonton, Alberta
Your common sense is: "Those people are asking for the team to NOT be named after them, they must want more attention!"

Mahmoud Ali
There are so may points here to weigh in on but let me start with the mayor of Winnipeg and his city's two professional teams. Between the football Bombers and the fighter jet on their hockey jersey they are promoting a militaristic ideology that is out of place in a Canadian society that prides itself as a peaceful country. Lester Pearson won a Nobel prize for his efforts at peace keeping during the Suez Crisis and that reputation remains.

This Remembrance Day, a 100 years on from the so-called Great War, the mayor of Winnipeg should give a thought to our veterans and remove the militaristic symbolisms of his city's professional teams.

Bryan Warkentin ·
Calgary, Alberta
You're kidding right?

Dustin Tobin
Is this a joke? I can’t tell. My eye starting twitching a bit when I read that

Krishna Bains
Mayor Bowman needs to change the Winnipeg Blue Bombers name as it implies terrorism and I don't feel safe with it.

Steve Bowier
Lol. Sadly its coming to that extreme.

Gerard Groenewegen
Let's rename them to something like the "Invaders", "Marauders", "Trespassers", "Transgressionals", "UnRepentents" or maybe just given them a number. The Edmonton "780s". A number will be best...just not 666.

Tommy Thompson ·
And in additional news the cougars of Vancouver Island and mainland British Columbia have formed a coalition with the songbirds of the province of Quebec to object to the Supreme Court of Canada to the names of the British Columbia Lions and the Montreal Alouettes respectfully.

Not to be outdone, all the actual tiger cats, strangely only located in zoos in North America have additionally launched legal action contesting that how can a Hamilton team adequately and fairly represent them when they are not indigenous to the continent. Talk about cultural appropriation.

Roger Murphy
Thanks, a hilarious comment and so on target, there is no reasoning with the the closet totalitarians so lets mock them, laugh at them, denigrate them, they do not belong in our

Russell McIntosh ·
When the hell did the world get so sensitive???? Wow it’s a name of a football team. Leave it alone!!! Worry about homeless people!!!

Ross McDonald ·
I would think it would be disrespect to actually change it!

Renée-Anabelle Campeau ·
If this mayor has nothing better to do than worry about the name of a football team from another city, he needs to step down and let someone else do the job of mayor of Winnipeg.

Debbie Meleshko Ledgerwood
Poll the people in the north out of respect. Follow through based on the poll, not what some shirt says in Wpg. The opinions of the people in the north are what counts.

Pierce Achtymichuk, Banff Centre for Fine Arts
I can't deal too much more with this stupidity.

Paul Hornbeck ·
So sad when cousins marry...

Jason Williams ·
Has anyone asked the northern first nations communities if they even give a flying f__k?

Chris Corrigan · Bowen Island, British Columbia
You mean other than the leader of the organization that represents the norther people in question, who, in this article pretty clearly gives a well grounded f___k about it?

Wayne Kesso
I’m getting a Chief Wahoo Indians hat and will wear it proudly. Good luck trying to get me to stop.

Logan Gulo ·
I’m going to get a Wayne Kesso is a wussy racist hat and wear it proudly. Good luck trying to get me to stop giving them out to my indigenous friends.

Jeff Scott Warren
lets call them the Edmonton Wagonburners . How is that??

Charles Ward ·
Another snowflake crying for change, when there's no need for change!
Why not "Manitoba" Blue Bombers if you are so inclusive Mr. Mayor? It is not too hard to find American aboriginal people who think “Washington Redskins” is just fine.”

It’s true. The Washington Post thought it was leading an effort of righthinking peoples on behalf of American indigenous peoples to change what they perceived as an offensive name until they did this massive poll of America’s original inhabitants and discovered that the vast majority were not bothered at all by the name. They have barely mentioned it since then.

Roger Murphy
Colby insinuates that there is something objectionable about the term "redskins" how on earth could this be taken as negative unless the premise is that other than white is somehow objectionable, other than a few people in all our country nobody thinks this way. Eskimos across the great north should be proud of the way their football team has fought for their honor all these years, any lily livered melting snowflake that sees this differently can just...melt!

Eric Holl · Sir Wilfrid Laurier Collegiate Institute
With sincere respect to Inuit, Inuriat, Yupik, and all indigineous peoples of the far north. Can we not agree Eskimo is a generic name for fictional peoples of the far north that wear sealskins and fur parkas, rub noses to kiss, popularized in prose poetry and hollywood movies, and leave the football team alone ??

Bill Nelmes ·
Is the Inuit culture really offended by the name Edmonton Eskimos I never heard them complain or were they told by educators they should be!
Russell Clark ·
The folks who are unable to grasp why names such as Eskimos are unacceptable are the same ones who are equally unable to understand why an increasing number of people want to get rid of the confederate statues in the US.

Rob Campbell
Eskimo is not an offensive term. in fact in the description of Innuit in Websters they use the term Eskimo to describe Innuit.

Definition of Inuit

1 plural Inuit or Inuits also Innuit or Innuits
a (1) :the Eskimo people of North America and Greenland (2) :the Eskimo people of Canada
b :a member of such people
2 a :eskimo

Renée-Anabelle Campeau · Parsons School of Design
Russell Clark the resident snowflake and leftist....of course he had to bring in the Confederate statues...you are seriously a pathetic individual
Curtis Brooks ·
Just out of curiosity from people on both sides of the debates: Would changing the name officially to Eskies be a reasonable compromise?

Anil Kurian
They were called 'The Elks' once so no helmet 'EE' logo change needed (and yes Eskimo started as a derogatory term).

Joseph Michael
Why ?

Pierce Achtymichuk ·
Nonsense

Remy Henderson ·
Sarnia Collegiate Institute And Technical School
So? Even if it started as a derogatory word doesn't mean they have to change it. It's their franchise, they can name it the Edmonton Anil Sucks Dick if they want.

Doug Hewitt ·
You know, the Inuit are are ones who get to decide if the name is offensive or not, and it seems their elected leader has said it is. So what the heck, just change it to something else. I know I'd be insulted if the Inuits named their team the Genocidal Settlers or something, and no matter how many times they might assure me it shouldn't offend me I get to decide that.

It's the entertainment industry. This isn't some deep and important aspect of Canadian culture they are asking us to change. Just change it, and in 5 years we'll have forgotten all about it and be enjoying the new name.

Edward Underhill
The Edmonton Green Yellows; it worked for Ottawa.

Mahmoud Ali
You mean the Green Golds.

College Marie-Victorin
I’ve said Farewell to the CFL years ago! ·

I'm surprised terrorists haven't taken exception to Winnipeg's team name.

Stan Stuber ·
The Eskimos can endure, just ignore the stupid political correctness crap!!

Bryan Dickerson
I vote for the name "The Edmonton There are Only Two Genders
Hard to fit on a jersey though. 🤔

Bill Witzke ·
Pretty soon we'll just be referring to them as the 'Edmonton E-words.'

UBC
Bull s*** they have been the esks for ever and not hurt ayone.

University of Lethbridge
While I have never been a fan of the everluving Eskimos, if they are forced to change their name I will forsake CFL football, as I have forsaken hockey and NFL football.

The CFL's silly support of 'Diversity is Strength' nonsense almost made me stop.

But if they heel to the SJW idiots, the continually offended, most of whom do not even watch the sport, then I am happy to stop watching CFL as well.

In the US, fans are abandoning ESPN and NFL specifically because of the grandstanding and disrespect for traditions such as the anthem and the flag.

What the leagues have failed to realize, is that most of their fan base comes from the so called 'deplorables'. Working class people who support God and country and the flag, (and the Team) and who are conservative leaning.

Certainly the fan base is not the liberal lefties, who see competition and sweaty men and just another example of the patriarchy And millennials have no interest in sports of any kind.

So go ahead, CFL.
Make my day.

Loretta Baldwin ·
If the Edmonton Eskimos name wasn’t offensive before why is it only now?

Siegfried Kyle
Sports team names are meant to sound tough, it can't be a bad thing to say Eskimos are tough.

Terry Ward ·
Another bunch of SNOWFLAKES crying. When will it end?
How about the Edmonton Emeralds? Neither he colour nor the stone should oppose.

Walter James
Just call them the same as every other city does, the "Evil Empire"

Larry Gibson
SUCH *poop*

Bob Buckle ·
Niagara College, Welland, ON
OK....Edmonton Inuit it is!!

Will Barkley ·
University of Toronto
Do not refer to northern indigenous as Eskimos.
Just the Edmonton football team.

Joseph Michael
Wait what? Why? Eskimos is a derogatory name?

Andrew Richards ·
Not gonna happen. Who are these idiots?
"When I went to Catholic high school in Philadelphia, we just had one coach for football and basketball. He took all of us who turned out and had us run through a forest. The ones who ran into the trees were on the football team". (George Raveling)
JohnnyMusso
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Thanks Blitz for posting that article.

From the responses to the article, most people were against changing the name and quite a few felt the name was not even offensive. I had to laugh at the one guy who felt the movement against the name was by leftists who hate all sports and only conservative people like sports. Talk about generalization. It is funny for I am liberal and enjoy many sports and my brother in law, God rest his soul, for he died in August, was very conservative and hated all sports, even the Olympics.

As for the issue, it seems most Eskimo fans from the responses are against the name change. The Eskimos are in a no win situation here and if they do not change it will get criticism and if they do get criticism, perhaps more, from the fan base.

I cannot believe the guy, who I think was serious, saying both the Jets and Bombers should change their names for they represent the military and war and we live in a peaceful society, so they are offensive to him.

It just goes to show you where will it end
Dusty
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I don't know about "Jets", but I can see an argument being made to change the name "Bombers" coming from EE fans because of a "link to terrorism" if they feel "forced" to make a change. In these times, I would be reticent in saying "I'm a fan of the Bombers" or shouting "Go Bombers Go" out loud in an airport....
Huge Talent
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They should change it to the rough riders
Blitz
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JohnnyMusso wrote:
Sat Nov 11, 2017 8:45 am
Thanks Blitz for posting that article.name was not even offensive. I had to laugh at the one guy who felt the movement against the name was by leftists who hate all sports and only conservative people like sports. Talk about generalization. It is funny for I am liberal and enjoy many sports and my brother in law, God rest his soul, for he died in August, was very conservative and hated all sports, even the Olympics.

As for the issue, it seems most Eskimo fans from the responses are against the name change. The Eskimos are in a no win situation here and if they do not change it will get criticism and if they do get criticism, perhaps more, from the fan base.

I cannot believe the guy, who I think was serious, saying both the Jets and Bombers should change their names for they represent the military and war and we live in a peaceful society, so they are offensive to him.

It just goes to show you where will it end
I was not going to comment on this topic Johnny Musso. It’s a sensitive topic filled with potential landmines, scud missiles, and laser guided attacks.

I understand that symbols are important as maxlion has said. A question, I ask myself is "What symbols should be dismantled and what should be left alone?"

Another thought I have is where is the empathy for the fact that the Edmonton football team has been called the Eskimos since early this century and is an important part of the brand of the Edmonton football team, the city of Edmonton, and a long part of the CFL tradition. We also know that the name was not selected for any negative intention. In most cases the names chosen for teams honored positive attributes of the group from which the name was selected. Certainly, there must be a better process for attempting

From the responses to the article, most people were against changing the name and quite a few felt the to resolve these types of issues rather than attempting to shame the Edmonton Eskimos football club.

We know that Inuit leader Natan Obed and some Inuit as well as the mayor of Winnipeg, (just before a playoff game) wants the name to be changed. But we also know that some of our indigenous peoples do self-refer as Eskimos and some Inuit are comfortable with the name and view the topic as Obed grand standing for attention.

Respect and empathy for other cultures also must include Indigenous respect and empathy for other cultures, including the culture and history that is the background of the British and French settlers and the other immigrants who arrived on our shores and played such an important role in developing and building this exceptional country of Canada. It has to work both ways.

It also concerns me that most of these types of 'issues, such as the present one of the name of the Eskimos, is rarely grass roots driven but arrives from the mouths of politicians, whether Indiginous or non-Indigenous,

There are those who want Canada not to have a core identity, which, at one time was an identity that was comprised of European and Indigenous culture. Justin Trudeau, in an article in New York Times Magazine in which it was said "Canada is becoming a new kind of state, defined not by its European history but by the multiplicity of its identities from all over the world. As Justin Trudeau said in the article “‘There is no core identity, no mainstream in Canada’’. That has to sound very good to the ears of secular liberals.

There is also no question that symbols are important because there are many who want to tear down the symbols of many aspects of Canadian history. They want to tear down any statutes of John A. MacDonald, one of the founders of our country and our first Prime Minister and they want to get rid of the names of our early explorers, if they are used to name schools and buildings etc. They want to tear down the history and culture that is an important part of the development of our country of Canada and reshape it for their purposes. There is an agenda to this.

It’s important to also understand our history. We did not 'defeat' the Indigenous peoples of Canada in a war. We mostly traded with them and they often fought alongside us. They were not our 'captives'. When the British and French first arrived in Canada, there were no 'nation' or ‘nations’ comprised of Indigenous peoples, even though Indigenous chiefs often wish it to appear there was.

But if one attempts to speak the truth these days, one takes a great risk of being called a racist or a bigot.

When the early English and French explorers and settlers first travelled to our shores, most of the Indigenous were nomads that were functioning not much differently than as they had when they first arrived 40,000 years of so before.

Most of the Indigenous were nomadic. They tended to temporary structures not intended to last and most lived in tents or igloos. They did not have a written language nor did they have metallurgy nor was the wheel to be found. The Indigenous people were very skilled in numerous crafts and woodwork and the men mostly functioned as hunters, trappers, and warriors.

Yes, there are areas in which our Indigenous peoples were wronged. The residential schools are but one example and we know about the horrible abuses that took place. They are tragic. But we should be careful to not arrive at the conclusion that all Indigenous children attended them. In fact, most did not. Initially, about 1,100 students attended 69 schools across the country. In 1931, at the peak of the residential school system, there were about 80 schools operating in Canada. That is the size of a couple of school districts. It doesn't minimize the horrible policy of uprooting Indigenous children from their homes but it does clarify that most Indigenous children did not attend a residential school.

Another example in which facts get distorted is the present national inquiry into missing and murdered Aboriginal women. Of the Indigenous women murdered since 1980 about 90 per cent of those murders have been solved — a rate similar to those of non-Indigenous women. Yet there is no inquiry into non-Indigenous women who have murdered nor do the families have an opportunity to tell their stories to a national enquiry.

There are numerous areas involving our Indigenous people that need to be addressed. Our Indigenous peoples have some legitimate grievances, as well as some very serious concerns. But I also don't believe that most people who live in Canada presently should be experiencing the self-hate and shame that our federal government, the CBC, and numerous Indigenous chiefs want us to be experiencing.

Presently Indigenous peoples account for roughly five per cent of Canada’s population—up from 3.8 per cent in 2006, and just 2.8 per cent in 1996.

Most Canadians I believe are empathic towards our Indigenous population and want any remaining violated treaties to be resolved and properly compensated for. Our courts and judges have mostly found very favorably in terms of compensation of Indigenous legitimate legal demands and individually, our courts also provide special consideration for persons of an Indigenous background.

Each year, hardworking taxpayers, mostly of non-Indigenous background contribute 10 billion dollars a year towards our Indigenous peoples. In stating that, I realize that the Indian Act applies only to status Indians, and Inuit peoples while also being indigenous to Canada, have not been historically recognized, but also receive special funding.

Hundreds of billions of tax-payer dollars have been spent since 1945 in the hope of improving the lives and conditions of our Indigenous peoples. Had non-Indigenous Canadians not created a highly technological and advanced society and instead functioned as gatherers, trappers and hunters, there would be very few tax dollars to provide ther massive tax dollars for Indigenous peoples, as we have for decades now.

The results, in most cases have been very disappointing and even heart breaking, especially when looking at the reserve system, which Indigenous chiefs and Indigenous people want to retain. They also have a choice not to live on a reserve. While there are some success stories, many of our Indigenous communities are in remote areas where there is little chance of employment and subsidence without significant tax payer financial support. We expect most Canadians to seek work elsewhere when unemployment is bleak. Our modern society requires adaption. In the area in which I live, the logging, pulp mill, fishing, and mining industries which provided a good middle-class lifestyle are gone. Those employees have had to re-train or seek work elsewhere.

I don’t believe that present non-Indigenous Canadians should quake in fear any time a militant Indigenous person feels affronted by something. It seems like everyone is a victim of something these days. That long list now even includes white males, who believe that they are last in line for a job these days as every other societal group from females to transgenders to different ethnic groups believe they have been victimized. One wonders where it will all end, with almost everyone’s sensitivities on high alert. Its like almost no one has a skin anymore. Everyone is upset or outraged or victimized.

In saying that, real victims get mixed in with those who are not really victims at all. One of those groups in which there are many victims of violence is Indiginous women and children. But the major cause of that violence arrives from Indigenous men in their own family homes. Natan Obed, elected President of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami doesn’t even fluently speak Inuktitut fluently, would have earned my admiration more if he had focused more on what he was going to do to address the serious concerns of his people in the future rather than focusing on the name of a far away pro football team.

Symbols may be important but I highly doubt the name of the Edmonton football team is much of a priority for most Inuit, who have more pressing concerns. So do most Winnipegers who consider infrastructure (including water), crime, and poverty as very serious concerns and not what the Edmonton football team has called itself for decades.

But it’s a lot easier to focus on a symbol than to make a really serious attempt to solve real problems.

My best friend is named Rick. We’ve been friends since early junior high school. I was best man at his wedding. He could have chosen to register for Indiginenous status but chose not to, even though he would have received some benefits by doing so. If he had chosen ‘status’ it would have made no difference to me but I do respect his view that he does not want to live his life as a victim because, as he says, “a victimhood mentality’ has never helped anyone.

I, like many Canadians wish our Indigenous peoples a better future and want to be supportive. But like many non-Indigenous Canadians it can feel frustrating to see so much tax money being provided and often the results have been anything but stellar.

I think I’m going to start becoming a sensitive snowflake too and join the parade. On my mother’s side of the family our ancestry is English and Welsh. On my father’s side its mostly Serbian/Croatian but with a small measure of Italian.

I am going to take offence with the name Wally being used for Pasquale Buono. The name may not bother Buono but who cares. Its what feel that counts and calling Buono by an English nickname insults my Italian heritage. From now on it should be Pasquale. The Italians were not always treated well as immigrants in North America. Now I expect the B.C. Lions to do something about my concern . Of course I am being fesicious but where does this stuff end.

Hopefully there will be careful consideration and lots of consultation, including consultation with Edmontonians and with the Inuit peoples by the Edmonton Eskimos before making a decision.
"When I went to Catholic high school in Philadelphia, we just had one coach for football and basketball. He took all of us who turned out and had us run through a forest. The ones who ran into the trees were on the football team". (George Raveling)
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mountaincat
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sir john a's starvation plan to clear the west to make room for white colonization, was remarkably similar to Hitler's starvation plan for eastern Europe to make room for German colonization.

by now, it's not uncommon to hear ppl mention that south Africa modeled their apartheid system on Canada's reservation system. but until we come to terms with Canada's explicitly genocidal origins, and current systemically racist -esp against indigenous people- institutions, we can't even begin to have an honest debate about this stuff.

these articles are all several years old. the first 2 lay out evidence, the last 2 are based on the evidence.

https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/globe- ... e13316877/

https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/arts/b ... e14578889/

https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/globe- ... e14853747/

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion ... e27607030/
maxlion
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Posts: 1099
Joined: Sat Aug 01, 2015 12:49 am

mountaincat wrote:
Sat Nov 11, 2017 4:43 pm
sir john a's starvation plan to clear the west to make room for white colonization, was remarkably similar to Hitler's starvation plan for eastern Europe to make room for German colonization.

by now, it's not uncommon to hear ppl mention that south Africa modeled their apartheid system on Canada's reservation system. but until we come to terms with Canada's explicitly genocidal origins, and current systemically racist -esp against indigenous people- institutions, we can't even begin to have an honest debate about this stuff.

these articles are all several years old. the first 2 lay out evidence, the last 2 are based on the evidence.

https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/globe- ... e13316877/

https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/arts/b ... e14578889/

https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/globe- ... e14853747/

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion ... e27607030/
Nobody wants to hear the true history of Canada, especially on Remembrance Day.
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