indigenous terminology in north america
itโs indigenous peoplesโ day in the usa! to celebrate i am here to help non-indigenous folks in north america to think about the terminology they use because i know not all of y'all know how the nuances of the many things weโre called. in general, when talking about an indigenous person or character and referring to their indigeneity, referring to their specific culture is the best option. i am indigenous, but more specifically i am cree. that said, letโs talk about terminology while recognizing that the following list is super simplified to give you a brief overview.
indigenous is an umbrella term that refers to the original inhabitants of a land. it is used to talk about indigenous people worldwide. we use it as a collective term because we share many interests, but we are all different peoples and nations. people who are mฤori or sรกmi or ainu are all indigenous, but theyโre all from very different places and cultures. indigenous as a term unites us, but shouldnโt be used to erase our differences.
aboriginal is, like indigenous, an umbrella term that refers to the original inhabitants of a land. aboriginal was a favoured term in canada for many years and is still used by some multi-nation organizations. canadaโs indigenous peoplesโ day (โชjune 21โฌ) is also sometimes called aboriginal peoplesโ day.
native american is a term that refers specifically to indigenous people living in what is currently the contiguous united states of america. people living in alaska or hawaii may prefer the term native hawaiian or native alaskan. if you call someone in canada native american theyโll know what you mean, but itโs not the preferred term. like indigenous, it is an umbrella term and covers many different tribes/nations. it is a term assigned to indigenous people and adopted by us, but not one we came up with ourselves.
alaska native is an umbrella term that refers to indigenous people living in what is currently alaska. they are culturally distinct peoples from native american cultures. you may be used to calling native alaskans โesk*mosโ and if you are you should stop that right fucking now because esk*mo is a derrogatory term that comes from cree slang. some native alaskan people are inuit (see below), but not all are.
native hawaiian is a term for indigenous hawaiians. this is another umbrella term. native hawaiians were not included in federal programs for native americans until the 70s and some programs still exclude them, as do many discussions about native american issues even though they are also an indigenous group colonized by the usa.
native is an umbrella term used by indigenous people to refer to themselves. in north america, it may be socially acceptable to refer to indigenous people as being native, but ymmv and elsewhere in the world, it carries more racist, colonial baggage than it does here, where it is generally understood as a shortened form of native american.
american indian is a dated term that is still used in some official spaces in the united states. older indigenous people may use this (or the term indian) because theyโre used to saying it. if youโre not indigenous, you should probably say native american or indigenous. amerindian is a portmanteau of this term and similarly isnโt really favoured anymore.
indian is a dated term for indigenous people in canada and the united states. it stems from the time of christopher columbus when columbus decided to call us โindianโ. if you are non-indigenous, do not refer to indigenous people as indian. in canada, it is also a legal designation tied to the indian act that means some indigenous people hold โindian status,โ which grants them certain rights. some indigenous people in north america have reclaimed the term indian to refer to themselves.
ndn is a slang term we use to refer to ourselves online. if youโre non-indigenous then bro. do not. it just stands for indian, you canโt!
first nations is a term analogous to native american. it is used in canada to refer to the many indigenous nations south of the arctic circle. as someone who is cree, iโm first nations. it is an umbrella term, but not every indigenous person in canada is first nations. unlike โindianโ, it is not a legal term.
inuit is the term for indigenous peoples that live in what is currently canadaโs north. some indigenous people in alaska (and elsewhere) may also identify as inuit because the american/canadian border is a new addition in the grand scope of their histories. inuit are culturally distinct from first nations/native americans. also inuit means โthe peopleโ and y'all my inuk friend is so fucking amused every time someone says โthe inuit peopleโ because y'all are out here saying โthe the people people.โ not all indigenous people in the north are inuit.
mรฉtis is a term for people who are descended from specific communities where indigenous people and non-indigenous settlers intermarried and created their own culture. they are specific, cultural communities within canada with their own culture and language. not everyone with mixed indigenous and settler ancestry is mรฉtis. for example, my dad is white and my mom is cree. i am not mรฉtis because i donโt have any connection to a historic mรฉtis community. again, this is not a legal term the way indian is.
redsk*n is a derogatory term for native american/first nations people. the term originates from the genocide of our peoples, tied with the practice of collecting bounties for the scalps (the โred skinsโ in question) or other body parts of indigenous people in the west. do not use the term. even if youโre talking about the football team that recently changed its name, say โthe washington teamโ or something similar. itโs a slur. (source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/a-brief-history-of-the-word-redskin-and-how-it-became-a-source-of-controversy/2016/05/19/062cd618-187f-11e6-9e16-2e5a123aac62_story.html)
esk*mo is another slur. itโs an anglicized version of askipiw, a cree word which is more or less saying that inuit eat raw meat (i.e. that is implying theyโre more akin to animals than people). again, even when youโre referring to sports teams that use the term in their name, donโt say it. it doesnโt matter what some white dude on QI told you, itโs not a โmore acceptableโ umbrella term for northern indigenous peoples. some people might use it to refer to themselves still, but, as with other terminology on this list, if youโre not indigenous, donโt say it!
