Edmonton Eskimos,, I'm not a mascot

Durry

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May 18, 2010
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So say the Inuit.

Interesting timing to get some attention eh!!

How to throw cold water on a party eh!!


Inuit group wants Edmonton Eskimos to change its name | CTV News


EDMONTON -- Canada's national Inuit organization says the storied Edmonton Eskimos Canadian Football League franchise should change its name.
"It isn't right for any team to be named after an ethnic group," said Natan Obed, president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, which represents Canada's 60,000 Inuit.
"If anyone was to call me an Eskimo, I would be offended by that."

The term Eskimo is a relic of a past in which Inuit people had no control over their lives or even what they were called, said Obed.
"This is part of the past. It isn't part of the present and shouldn't be part of the future.
"I think it's time Inuit made the statement that it's not acceptable to use our people as mascots."
Although questions have been raised about the team's name before, Inuit groups have never joined that debate. Obed said now's the time -- especially with the team playing in this weekend's Grey Cup championship game in Winnipeg.
"With the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's calls to action fresh in our minds, all sectors of society should be contributing to the ongoing reconciliation," said Obed.
Justice Murray Sinclair, who headed the commission, said recently that it's time to get rid of indigenous mascots, which would never be tolerated if they targeted any other cultural group.
It's important to stand with other Aboriginal Peoples who have objected to sports teams using their names, Obed said.
"I recognize that there may be absolutely no ill will or disrespect intended. It still is a vestige of colonialism, of a different time where it was OK for Canadians to speak of Inuit as Eskimos," he said.
 

CDNBear

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Sep 24, 2006
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LOL, my son got called an "Apple" for posting that he wasn't offended by the Chicago Blawkhawks emblem (elsewhere). Simply because he wasn't raised to look for offence in everything or be a perpetual victim, lol.
 

petros

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Nov 21, 2008
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If they were the Edmonton Inuit, they might be on to something. The name Eskimo is an English take on the French word Esquimaux.
 

MHz

Time Out
Mar 16, 2007
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Rather than eliminate the connection they should just get some royalties for the use of the name. Big money rather than pennies on the dollar.
 

Cliffy

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Nov 19, 2008
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Eskimo was once acceptable in Canada, and still is almost anywhere else. It means "raw meat eater." Eskimo originated from southern Indian tribes describing the northern Inuit, whom they were constantly fighting. Inuit take offense to being called Eskimos, despite the fact that they do eat raw meat.
The Racial Slur Database
 

Walter

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Jan 28, 2007
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Eskimo was once acceptable in Canada, and still is almost anywhere else. It means "raw meat eater." Eskimo originated from southern Indian tribes describing the northern Inuit, whom they were constantly fighting. Inuit take offense to being called Eskimos, despite the fact that they do eat raw meat.
The Racial Slur Database
Some do.
 

Jinentonix

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If they were the Edmonton Inuit, they might be on to something. The name Eskimo is an English take on the French word Esquimaux.
Actually, it's an English take on an old Algonquian term that they used as a pejorative towards the Inuit. One Cree speaker suggested the original word that became corrupted to Eskimo might have been askamiciw (which means "he eats it raw"); the Inuit are referred to in some Cree texts as askipiw (which means "eats something raw")


Interestingly enough, despite the claims it's a derogatory term, the Inuit Circumpolar Council uses both "Inuit" AND "Eskimo" in their official documents.
 

Mowich

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Dec 25, 2005
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Call them what you want but the Esks are going down today as the Redblacks eat their lunch..................I earnestly hope.:lol:
 

Durry

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May 18, 2010
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Redblacks,,,,,,,,,sheesh, and the Inuit think Eskimos is a bad name???

With a handle Redblacks, that's a loser in the name alone let alone a football game!!