Arguably the Inuit’s greatest-ever athlete says the Edmonton Eskimos’ name doesn’t offend him..There have been calls to change the name as some people say it is insulting to Canada’s Eskimos..The CFL team has said they will speed up a review of its name and provide an update at the end of the month after one of its sponsors announced it plans to cut ties with the team unless it changes its name..Jordin Tootoo, the first Inuk to play in the NHL, said in a statement the discussion should be “around how the Inuk people feel” about the term.. jordinJordin Tootoo .“We should all understand what the term means to the Inuk people,” he said..“My father’s generation connects this term to describe who they are. He would refer to himself as an Eskimo. My generation refers to itself as Inuk. What is important to me is that people understand this. And, when referring to the Inuit people, they respect that we refer to ourselves today as Inuk..“I understand there are names of sports teams that bring back feelings of oppression for people and I can see why those names should be changed..“So, this makes me ask the question, does the term Eskimo for the Edmonton franchise bring back feelings of oppression for Inuk people? For me, it does not. That is not a reason to keep the name. There could be others for whom it does create those feelings.”.He said the team should explain how their nickname came about..“Was it racially charged, or, was it because of admiration for the ability of the Eskimos to thrive in cold climates, for their mental and physical toughness and for their resilience?” he said..“My point is that context really does matter. And, they need to be honest with themselves and with the public. Truth goes a long way..“The name of the Edmonton Esimos is not objectionable to me. This does not mean they should keep the name. But I think the discussion should be around how the Inuk people feel about it. Some might feel pride. Some might feel hurt. Either way, that is the group that should be consulted.”.The Rankin Inlet native played 13 seasons in the NHL with Nashville, Detroit, New Jersey and Chicago..He retired in 2018..The team did announce in February they were keeping the name..“There were a range of views regarding the club’s name but no consensus emerged to support a name change. The club has therefore decided to retain its name,” the team said in a statement then.. POLL: Many Albertans say they will ignore Christmas COVID lockdown .“The Edmonton Eskimo Football Club will be increasing its engagement in Canada’s north following an extensive year-long formal research and engagement program with Inuit leaders and community members across Canada.”.The team said it had met with Inuit and community leaders in Iqaluit, Inuvik, Yellowknife and Ottawa, did in-depth interviews with Inuit across the north and in Edmonton, and completed a telephone survey amongst Inuit across Canada..“A key learning for us was the desire of northern communities to increase the club’s engagement with them. As a result, we have invested the time and resources to create a Northern Community Engagement Program and will continue to engage with Inuit leaders and community members to strengthen the ties between the club and the Inuit community,” said Janice Agrios, Chair of the Board of Directors for the team.. Nunavut’s former NHL star Tootoo says Eskimo name is OK with himJanice Agrios Courtesy Edmonton Eskimos .In 2015, in the week leading up to the Grey Cup in Edmonron, Natan Obed — president of Canada’s national Inuit organization, the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami — said teams shouldn’t been named after ethnic groups..Edmonton sports teams have been called the Eskimos since the 1900s..Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard.dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com.Twitter.com/nobby7694
Arguably the Inuit’s greatest-ever athlete says the Edmonton Eskimos’ name doesn’t offend him..There have been calls to change the name as some people say it is insulting to Canada’s Eskimos..The CFL team has said they will speed up a review of its name and provide an update at the end of the month after one of its sponsors announced it plans to cut ties with the team unless it changes its name..Jordin Tootoo, the first Inuk to play in the NHL, said in a statement the discussion should be “around how the Inuk people feel” about the term.. jordinJordin Tootoo .“We should all understand what the term means to the Inuk people,” he said..“My father’s generation connects this term to describe who they are. He would refer to himself as an Eskimo. My generation refers to itself as Inuk. What is important to me is that people understand this. And, when referring to the Inuit people, they respect that we refer to ourselves today as Inuk..“I understand there are names of sports teams that bring back feelings of oppression for people and I can see why those names should be changed..“So, this makes me ask the question, does the term Eskimo for the Edmonton franchise bring back feelings of oppression for Inuk people? For me, it does not. That is not a reason to keep the name. There could be others for whom it does create those feelings.”.He said the team should explain how their nickname came about..“Was it racially charged, or, was it because of admiration for the ability of the Eskimos to thrive in cold climates, for their mental and physical toughness and for their resilience?” he said..“My point is that context really does matter. And, they need to be honest with themselves and with the public. Truth goes a long way..“The name of the Edmonton Esimos is not objectionable to me. This does not mean they should keep the name. But I think the discussion should be around how the Inuk people feel about it. Some might feel pride. Some might feel hurt. Either way, that is the group that should be consulted.”.The Rankin Inlet native played 13 seasons in the NHL with Nashville, Detroit, New Jersey and Chicago..He retired in 2018..The team did announce in February they were keeping the name..“There were a range of views regarding the club’s name but no consensus emerged to support a name change. The club has therefore decided to retain its name,” the team said in a statement then.. POLL: Many Albertans say they will ignore Christmas COVID lockdown .“The Edmonton Eskimo Football Club will be increasing its engagement in Canada’s north following an extensive year-long formal research and engagement program with Inuit leaders and community members across Canada.”.The team said it had met with Inuit and community leaders in Iqaluit, Inuvik, Yellowknife and Ottawa, did in-depth interviews with Inuit across the north and in Edmonton, and completed a telephone survey amongst Inuit across Canada..“A key learning for us was the desire of northern communities to increase the club’s engagement with them. As a result, we have invested the time and resources to create a Northern Community Engagement Program and will continue to engage with Inuit leaders and community members to strengthen the ties between the club and the Inuit community,” said Janice Agrios, Chair of the Board of Directors for the team.. Nunavut’s former NHL star Tootoo says Eskimo name is OK with himJanice Agrios Courtesy Edmonton Eskimos .In 2015, in the week leading up to the Grey Cup in Edmonron, Natan Obed — president of Canada’s national Inuit organization, the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami — said teams shouldn’t been named after ethnic groups..Edmonton sports teams have been called the Eskimos since the 1900s..Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard.dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com.Twitter.com/nobby7694
