My great-grandfather was, according to my late father, a descendant of the Inuit – which means “The People” in Inuktitut – the principle language of the Inuit. In Wales, we are known as Welsh by the English and “Cymro” in our ancient tongue “Cymraeg” – both come from Cymru, the name we have for Wales. The word Wales and Welsh derive the the same Old English root “Wealas”, which means “foreigner”. Similarly, the word Eskimo, which is used to describe the Inuit people derives from the Montagnais word “Ayas̆kimew”, meaning a person who laces a snowshoe. The term acquired pejorative connotations when it was found it means something like “eaters of raw meat” in Algonquian languages. What I didn’t know until today is the original spelling of Eskimo was “Esquimaux” – which somehow seems far nicer than its Anglicised counterpart. I found it when I picked up an old book, “Life with the Esquimaux A Narrative of Arctic Experience in Search of Survivors of Sir John Franklin’s Expedition” by Charles Francis Hall.
I have no idea whether or not my Great Grandfather, who hailed form Quebec, was indeed an Inuit, although he had facial characteristics that would lead me to believe this was true. I also have no idea whether or not he would be offended by the term Eskimo. What I do know is if you are considering whether or not something might be discriminatory or not, it is best to seek the advice of those most affected by it – namely the recipients of the label. So if the Inuit people don’t like being called Eskimos, then it’s best not to do it.
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