Edmonton CFL team to pull controversial name: report
Official announcement expected next week
The CFL’s Edmonton team will announce plans to change its name, according to media reports. (Photo courtesy of CFL)
The Canadian Football League’s Edmonton franchise has decided to change its team name, TSN reported on July 16.
Following a year-long engagement with Inuit communities, the football club announced this past February that it intended to keep the name Eskimos. The franchise said it found no consensus on the use of the team name, even though some Inuit consider it a slur.
But renewed calls emerged this spring for a number of sports teams to remove team names depicting Indigenous peoples as emblems or mascots. The National Football League’s Washington Redskins announced it would retire its name and logo earlier this week.
Faced with increased pressure, the Edmonton franchise opted to relaunch consultations with Inuit communities and stakeholders earlier this month.
But one of the club’s sponsors, Boston Pizza, pulled its support, while another one, Belairdirect, threatened to pull out if the team didn’t make a name change.
The franchise has not yet publicly confirmed its decision to retire the team’s name, though TSN said an announcement could come early next week.
In a statement issued earlier this month, the CFL said it was taking the issue seriously and accelerating its review process.
“We acknowledge and appreciate the feedback and input regarding our name,” the team said July 8. “We’ll continue to listen carefully and with an open mind.
“We intend to complete our review as quickly as possible and will provide an update on these discussions by the end of this month.”
I want to cry,,,, Eskimos will be forgotten in a big way. Many qallunaaks don’t know the word inuk or inuit and have never heard of it. But they understand Eskimo and I often use it to describe my identity. But I remain an Eskimo, Inuk and part of Inuit nation. I am an Eschiimau.
Or they will now pay more attention and use Inuk/Inuit instead of assuming since there is a CFL team named Eskimo that they can also use that.
Or they will realize that there is absolutely no consensus that the word is even offensive, as evidenced by this very publication, and become aware of the Iqaluit-based elite that claims to speak for Inuit, but is really working for its own purposes.
Perfect; now lets move on to: no housing, food shortages, transportation costs, suicide rates, substance abuse rates…
oh wait all the things that actually matter and if could get resolved as fast as this stupid “name change thing” the north and the people would be in far better shape then some name change.
Oh yeah now lets all go after the other 50 businesses and organization that use Eskimo in their title (including the half dozen in NUNAVUT and NWT -But no those names are okay-) and change those “double standard names”.
What a waste of time and effort that really makes no difference.
Good!
Next to go is the hockey team named Inouk from cegep de grandby
https://www.inouk.ca/fr/index.html
And a team named Inuk at a university in Chicoutimi
https://www.uqac.ca/blog/tag/inuk/
Ummm, why pray tell? I thought that Inuit was the approved term?
Inuk is a correct term.
I am not a mascot and have nothing to do with Grandby or Chicoutimi.
Change these names.
Seems the Team Owners gave homage to Non-Inuit language… How could/did/do some Inuit care and protect another language label given to them by others be embraced? Oh well, glad to see in the year 2020 common sense prevails. Be done with it already. “Buh bye Eskimo’s”.
The people who are offended by the word Eskimo, I have a question for you, what do you call other races in Inuktitut or Inuinnaqtun? Is it an offensive word?
Shouldn’t we be using our time and energy on more important things such as food security, housing, mental health issues?
Seems like requesting a name change for the Edmonton Eskimos was just to avoid the real issues we face as Eskimos!
You have a point, perhaps we should talk with non-Inuit and find out what they would like to be called and adapt that into Inuktitut. The way I hear the word Qalunaaq used it usually isn’t in a respectful way. should we find a way to say Caucasian in inuktitut? qaakaisi??
Yes the English word for Qalunaaq – Kabloonak is a person with big bushy eyebrows! Geez so appropriate!
#lowerfoodprices #mentalhealthmatters
That is not the meaning of the word Qallunaaq.
Maybe not, but I HATE the word. It takes away my identity, and when Nunavut Inuit tell me that it means ‘European” and I say that I’m not European, I’m Canadian, people look at my quizzically. If I’m to be considered European based on my appearance alone,, then all Inuit are Asian. See how silly and minimizing the word is?
I wish that someone would update the language, and stop lumping all Caucasians together. I am acutely aware of the linguistic, language, religious, and cultural differences when I speak with other Caucasian Canadians, and don’t consider myself to share a common culture with most of them.
Yet what happens in Nunavut? Yep, take way my identity and lump it into a giant mass of Qabluqness.
That’s not what it means. Please, do your research.
That’s not what it means. Educate yourself!
It’s from Kalaallisut. It means bleached whale skin.
Just say “caucasian”, the way others say “inuit”. It’s not that hard.
So a year-long engagement with inuit communities, but in the end the urban woke folk won.
I think the organization is also looking at this as a marketing strategy to sell new team apparel ?
That will come, but to suggest that is the entire point of this movement is cynical and reductionist. The picture and the size of the issue and debate are much larger than this.
I have read most if not all articles for and against, including comments – those for and those against.
I don’t think the name was ever meant to denigrate anyone, rather, to celebrate.
It is too bad that some cannot get beyond this.
I do think there are more important things to focus on, however, getting to brass tacks – it meant withdrawal of support by a major sponsor if the team did not change its name. Which means it is all down to the almighty dollar and not what those who wanted the name change were really hoping for.
Now that several public profile Inuit have gotten their wish let’s see if you can achieve the same positive results tackling the BIG issues facing Inuit. It is Highly unlikely ’cause you have made no headway so far. It is time all of you started being held accountable for the big salaried positions & roles that you hold in Inuit society. Good luck! to the Edmonton football club… no more being slammed by a select few who thought your team name was derogatory.
This is progress and let us move on. If you like the darn name so much tattoo it on yourself for all I care. Good on the sponsors to the football team for realizing the name was not a winner. Inuit have too many issues to address, so let’s focus on our other matters to heal and tackle our challenges.
I’m so embarrassed as an inuk. Some of us were trying to say just let it be because it’s not even an issue. But the overpaids had to get their way.
I believe decision will have nothing to do with Inuit opinions. Boston Pizza and Belair Direct (the 2 sponsors requiring a name change) outweigh everything else. I am sure both of these company have not consulted anyone Inuit on this, based their actions depending on where the wind is blowing. And, ironically, these fine companies who want to do “good” for the Inuit culture dont do business with us. Belair Direct does not insure anything in Nunavut.
I like the name Eskimos, I see it as a good promotional tool. Now Eskimos/Inuit will be forgotten from the national sport scene.
PS: when you go south, avoid Boston Pizza…
Too bad Boston Pizza and a few highly-paid Inuk leaders are getting their way on this. Some Inuit have been consulted but perhaps a more broad-based gathering of opinion could turn this around yet. One means could be petitions; e.g. http://www.change.org This website facilitates the process and is very user-friendly. Someone has to initiate it then it basically takes off. The results could be surprising.
Suppose I was insulted with our hockey team: using Canadian as part of their name? Yup, I always seen the word Eskimo as hardly, tough, endurance. I respect the word Inuit, but I see it as a forced political, niceness. Language is always made up of other languages, so Eskimo was from Cree, or at least one theory. But the thing about the meaning, it’s eaters of raw, that’s what we are, period. Describe me as eating raw. What’s going to replace that description?
Eskimo sled dog , and Eskimo pie ice cream next, let’s go team
In Canada you might get this, the American Eskimos will never change and are very proud to call themselves Eskimos.
The only entities able to grapple Racism to anyone in (Canada, USA or anywhere) is the federal government, they are breaking their own laws in not doing anything, it seems they support a school of hard knocks and who are they using? White Supremist groups
Establishing identity is a must so can able to show others who, how, what you are and why. To know where you are or where you are going you must know where you come from.
Establishing identity is important. Inuit have to start standing up and identify selves as a people and set own goals and set a direction for yourselves as a People.
It was/is embarrassing seeing some Inuit and the older ones too even accepting being being told what they are. And happy about it. There! I said it. They had no clue! No disrespect but fact is the older ones happy with it are institutionalized (colonized) and oppressed and meshed into history in times. Oppressed? Yes.but just good little natives happy to be told what they are.
It’s year 2020. Don’t jus the good little natives happy to be called a name by another culture and proudly defend it. Blindly defend it.
Wow! So many simpletons. Of course ITK and MP are aware and addressing more important issues facing Inuit rather than “Just a sports team name” . Check the ITK and MP websites. websites of activities and actions in their views and visions. Education. Home, Health, Justice, Environment, are important matters but so is first properly establishing identity.
Now that Inuit have the coverage by this Edmonton Eskimos name change event, Inuit can now give a better, stronger, prouder and identifiable name to the world as Inuit.
Now when ongoing pressing issues of Homes, Education, Language, Culture, Justice, Environment, Animals, or Social matters will get addressed better using strength of Inuit and not Eskimos. Didn’t vote either president of mp but even I know they are addressing important challenges facing Inuit and not just a team name. But that is exactly the battle they face. It starts with identity.
Yet it is people like you who remove the identity of others. Every time you use the word qablunaq based merely on appearance you minimize and denigrate the other.
If you want to have your unique identity acknowledged, then show the same consideration to others – stop using that ugly word and ask them how they identify themselves.
Ummm, you are putting Canadian values and worldview into the mouths of others.
Eskimo is the celebrated and proudly used term in English in the arctic US.
It is for them to decide if they like the word (which they overwhelmingly do) and is in no way your place to tell them what is appropriate. It is not your place, or the place of any Canadian, to tell the ‘world’ how Americans want to be identified.
Two true Eskimo event witnessed:
1. Visiting Inuit Medical Travel Boarding Home in Winnipeg, MB, I was leaving and ahead of me were four Inuit left Boarding Home walking to go to convenience store. They walked ahead. Two of four Inuit were very pregnant young Inuit women. As the Inuit were walking together there were three young Native Cree walking in opposite direction crossed the Inuit paths. Once after passing the Inuit, the Cree passers by were speaking their language and laughing while looking back at the Inuit. One young native laughed and looked back and said, “Holy! Just right f*cken full! Eskimo gonna pop! Flackin Eskimo’s!” he yelled at the Inuit while they laughed.
2. Next day while entering a major shopping centre in the south, a cousins youngest daughter (half Inuk/white) was tellIng a story about how a Caucasian server in a restaurant mistook her for being white, my little cousin telling the story at the time explained her response out loud to me about the server she said loudly and proudly, “No. I’m an Eskimo”, while telling story. At the same time four young natives leaving as we enter heard this “I’m an Eskimo” and they started laughing. Laughing because they overheard a Inuk Proud to be Eskimo.
For decades been laughing at Eskimos proud to be Eskimo.
It appears that inuit leaders could not find strength to fight on important issues like housing and had to pick a fight with what jerks are crying about. itk, you couldn’t even convince feds for ten lousy houses for Nunavut let alone international circumpolar concerns, so you decided to pick up the bread crumps that has fallen of the table, shame,. you’ll never have my x again. not to impressive you lot, suppose to have been giant killers during your campaigns speeches but no, tails between the legs and picking on easy targets. I like my eskimos… I say to you; rhinoceros party could have done a better job handling this issue.