What's up with the word Eskimo?

Resource: Coffee and Quaq Podcast, Episode 4: Eskimo vs Inuit, by Alice Qannik Glenn, an Alaska Native Inupiaq

Recently, Aunt Jemima announced its efforts to rebrand, and this was followed by several other brands, including Dreyer’s Eskimo Pies. I'd never heard of the product before and I'm pretty sure I've never even noticed them in the grocery store. I was curious about why they were removing the word "Eskimo" from their product. When I think of the word Eskimo, the imagery that comes to mind are Native folks with big animal skin parkas, igloos, and ice fishing (which is also part of the problem, addressed later on in this post). I wasn't sure how the word was offensive, so I looked into where it came from.

It turns out the word Eskimo has an unclear background with several possible origins. From this NPR article, I learned that many people thought it meant “eater of raw meat” which was meant to connote violence and barbarism. Some anthropologists suggested it came from the Latin word excommunicati, the excommunicated ones, because Native people were not Christian. Some other linguists think it actually came from the French word esquimaux, which means “one who nets snowshoes.” In any case, the word was created by colonists - it’s not an Inuit word - and has been widely used by non-native colonizers as a slur or derogatory term.

I was curious about the Native communities' perception of the name, and as like most things in life, there is no clear cut and dry answer. I could find little about opinions on the rebranding of Eskimo Pies, although I did find this awesome podcast by Alice Qannik Glenn, an Alaska Native Inupiaq, called Coffee and Quaq (you can listen here or on spotify! Or probably anywhere you listen to podcasts!), created for the Indigenous listeners. She has a whole episode on the use of the word Eskimo in the Inuit community. Glenn interviews four Native women about the term, and here is what I took away from listening:

1. There are SO many groups of Native folks in the Arctic from Alaska to Canada to Greenland, including Inuit, Inupiaq, Yup’ik, Inuvialuit, Kalaallit, to name a few - They are alike, but very diverse in their cultures.

2. Settler colonizers grouped all of these people together and called them Eskimos.

3. In Canada, the word Eskimo is considered more derogatory than in the US because until 1970, Inuit people were stripped of their names (because they were too hard to pronounce and they did not have last names) and given numbers for government identification. They were given dog tags with their numbers to wear. In addition to removing their culture and language, their identity by name, something extremely important in their culture, was taken from them as well.

4. Many Alaska Natives do not know the histories of Inuits in Canada and Greenland - perhaps due to structures intentionally put in place by colonizers to prevent cross-pollination?

5. The older generations use and embrace the term Eskimo because that is what they were taught by colonists. Most of the guests on this podcast say that they let elders call them Eskimos because it is disrespectful to disagree with an elder, and it is what elders grew up with and what they call themselves.

6. The younger generations are moving away from calling themselves Eskimo, and in general identify more by what group they are part of.

7. Although the women in the podcast had differing views about how they use the word Eskimo, they all agreed that being called Eskimo by a non-Native is generally offensive, especially depending on the way it is used - either intentionally offensively or with ignorance about Native culture.

8. Reluctance in Native community to not use the name Eskimo stems from being accommodating folks who don’t know Native tribes, and a lot of people are not aware of why it’s so offensive or have not been in situations where they have seen the derogatory side. Glenn and some of her guests talk about not realizing that the term was offensive until they left their communities and experienced non-Native perceptions of themselves for the first time.

The term Eskimo as used to identify such diverse groups of people is limiting and accommodating to non-Native folks. In fact, many Inuit people use the term Eskimo to make it easier to tell non-Native folks about their identity. But because settler colonists’ perception of Alaska Natives comes primarily from cartoons (not including Molly of Denali!!), stereotypes like on food brands, and from not learning of indigenous cultures in schools, most people do not have real information about Alaska Natives (or many other indigenous people for that matter) and using the name Eskimo with the stereotypical imagery that comes with it only perpetuates that. Using the term to describe many groups serves to erase their rich and diverse cultures and histories.

In summary, I know a lot more now about the history of the word Eskimo and the complexities of its origins and use. Even though not all Native Alaskans are offended by the name, some are, and many are choosing not to identify with the name. Additionally, it perpetuates stereotypes and erases Inuit culture/history and positions them as people of the past when they exist and are thriving today. Taking the word Eskimo off of food brands like Dreyer’s is a small step in not continuing stereotypes, although there is much work to be done around true decolonization. Also how people identify is a personal choice, so just ask them before you assume their identity.