Odds are that you use these phrases every day
Eskimo
This term is a drastic oversimplification which the medieval European navigators used for huge swathes of different Native American nations living in the Arctic regions.
Under this umbrella-term, the distinct identity of the people was fused together into an arbitrary collective noun.
Linguists believe that the word came from the French word ‘esquimaux,’ referring to one who nets snowshoes.
The Alaska natives have petitioned for the use of ‘Inuit’ over Eskimo to refer to them.
Over the years, our media is fraught with a plethora of references that perpetuate this misnomer.
Getting rid of this slur from our language allows for a more culturally inclusive discourse.
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