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Jim McDougall · 14th January 2024, 03:25 AM

David,
In retrospect, I have previously been aware of the issue with the term 'Eskimo' used as a collective term for these tribal people of the north (apparently claimed to involve peoples across the circumpolar regions from Siberia to Greenland), but it would difficult to refer to such a broad spectrum of diverse groups collectively without a common term.

In the 'old' days, I had a close friend from Alaska (Nome), who was of this heritage and always referred to herself as 'Eskimo'. Actually I had really not been aware until recent years there was any problem with this term.
In the references in which I saw the lunette type knives described as 'ulu' (I hope this term is correct and proper) it is noted to be used by Eskimo women. There seem to be a wide variation in shapes for these, so perhaps these might be attributed to specific groups or regions. In those cases where such data is known, I would agree classification might be better applied using specific rather than collective terms.

While I had heard of this 'pejorative' issue with the Eskimo term, I admit I did not understand it, I found this link online written by an individual who is Inuit. He notes that Eskimos are not Inuit; and vice versa. He also notes that in Alaska the Eskimo term is used when collectively referring to the Inupiag and Yupik. He notes the Eskimo do NOT like being called Inuit, and this goes back to issues in the colonial period. ...so certainly the Inuit do NOT like being called Eskimo. I think there may be the 'rub'.

The pejorative angle derives from an apocryphal tale regarding some distortion of a word by French trappers in translation, but that suggestion is questioned as the Eskimo term appears to have predated colonial contact and of course likely different meaning than the pejorative result from the French version.

While my original post here was of an item thought to be an Eskimo 'ulu' knife, which through useful responses revealed, to my disappointment it was something entirely different.

Here we have continued and valued opportunity to learn, and as I noted, I had heard about the 'Eskimo' term issue, but did not understand it , probably because of my past experiences with the friend I noted, as well as some extensive travel in the Pacific Northwest where I have a nephew. There I never encountered any specific discomfort with use of the Eskimo term in various elements where the topic arose.

Researching this further, I wanted to share this link to this site to add some different perspective, which I think would be useful in better understanding this issue.

Again, I would like to thank you for bringing this to my attention. I always try to take care not to offend others, and with this I can be better aware of the boundaries in discussing matters in this anthropological context.

Best regards
Jim

https://www.aaanativearts.com/alaska...o-vs-inuit.htm

14th January 2024, 03:25 AM	#34
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 9,800	David, In retrospect, I have previously been aware of the issue with the term 'Eskimo' used as a collective term for these tribal people of the north (apparently claimed to involve peoples across the circumpolar regions from Siberia to Greenland), but it would difficult to refer to such a broad spectrum of diverse groups collectively without a common term. In the 'old' days, I had a close friend from Alaska (Nome), who was of this heritage and always referred to herself as 'Eskimo'. Actually I had really not been aware until recent years there was any problem with this term. In the references in which I saw the lunette type knives described as 'ulu' (I hope this term is correct and proper) it is noted to be used by Eskimo women. There seem to be a wide variation in shapes for these, so perhaps these might be attributed to specific groups or regions. In those cases where such data is known, I would agree classification might be better applied using specific rather than collective terms. While I had heard of this 'pejorative' issue with the Eskimo term, I admit I did not understand it, I found this link online written by an individual who is Inuit. He notes that Eskimos are not Inuit; and vice versa. He also notes that in Alaska the Eskimo term is used when collectively referring to the Inupiag and Yupik. He notes the Eskimo do NOT like being called Inuit, and this goes back to issues in the colonial period. ...so certainly the Inuit do NOT like being called Eskimo. I think there may be the 'rub'. The pejorative angle derives from an apocryphal tale regarding some distortion of a word by French trappers in translation, but that suggestion is questioned as the Eskimo term appears to have predated colonial contact and of course likely different meaning than the pejorative result from the French version. While my original post here was of an item thought to be an Eskimo 'ulu' knife, which through useful responses revealed, to my disappointment it was something entirely different. Here we have continued and valued opportunity to learn, and as I noted, I had heard about the 'Eskimo' term issue, but did not understand it , probably because of my past experiences with the friend I noted, as well as some extensive travel in the Pacific Northwest where I have a nephew. There I never encountered any specific discomfort with use of the Eskimo term in various elements where the topic arose. Researching this further, I wanted to share this link to this site to add some different perspective, which I think would be useful in better understanding this issue. Again, I would like to thank you for bringing this to my attention. I always try to take care not to offend others, and with this I can be better aware of the boundaries in discussing matters in this anthropological context. Best regards Jim https://www.aaanativearts.com/alaska...o-vs-inuit.htm Last edited by Jim McDougall; 14th January 2024 at 04:02 AM.