Conventions for Referring to Indigenous Peoples

Transcript:Conventions for Referring to Indigenous Peoples:
Conventions for Referring to Indigenous Peoples (Canada and USA) Dennis C. Wendt Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology McGill University General Principles Be as specific as possible e.g.: “A Cree woman” instead of “an Indigenous woman” Use names and terms that Indigenous Nations themselves prefer These increasingly differ from historically more familiar post-contact names, although those often are still widely used and acceptable “Kanien’kehá:ka” is generally preferred over “Mohawk” “Anishinaabeg” is generally preferred over “Algonquian” “Lnu” or “Mi’kmaq” are generally preferred over “Micmac” General Principles (continued) Trend towards capitalizing terms referring to Indigenous Nations, institutions, identities, certain traditions, ceremonies, and rights (in English) e.g.: Indigenous, Chief, Elder, Clan, Medicine Man, the Creator, Oral Tradition, Indigenous Right, Treaty Right, Sweat Lodge Note, however, there is not a consensus on capitalization; style guides and usages vary Some terms may be appropriate for certain Indigenous individuals to use, but are not generally appropriate for non-Indigenous individuals to use Do not use terms that imply colonial possession of Indigenous Peoples Not: “Canada’s Indigenous Peoples” or “Indigenous Peoples of Canada” Instead: “Indigenous Peoples in Canada” or “Indigenous Peoples of what is now called Canada” Indigenous (autochtone) When referring to Indigenous Peoples broadly within Canada (and increasingly in other countries, including the U.S.) “Indigenous Peoples” “Indigenous individuals” “Indigenous communities” “Indigenous Nations” Do not use if a more specific term can be used (e.g., “Inuit” or “Naskapi”) Can also be used to refer to Indigenous Peoples globally In Canada (and increasingly in the U.S.) it is helpful to specify global use, to avoid confusion: e.g., “Indigenous Peoples around the world” French: preferred term is “autochtone” (Gerdaud, 2016) For plural use, I recommend “peuples autochtones” (but “autochtones” is acceptable) First Nations (Premières Nations) Indigenous Peoples in Canada who are not Métis or Inuit “Status and non-status Indians under the Indian Act” “First Nations” came into common use in 1970s to replace “Indian” Have historical and contemporary ties/kinship with Native American Tribes Plural as an adjective or when referring to persons “A First Nations girl” “He is First Nations”; “they are First Nations” Singular when referring to the name of an individual Nation “Peguis First Nation” Inuit Indigenous Peoples of the Arctic regions of Canada, Greenland, and Siberia “Alaska Native(s)”: for Indigenous Peoples in Alaska Not: “Eskimo” “Inuit” means “the people,” so: Correct: “Inuit have hunted …” Incorrect: “The Inuit have hunted…” or “Inuit people have hunted” But: “les