HOW TO IDENTIFY INDIGENOUS PEOPLE & WHAT I'VE LEARNED

I believe that we all make mistakes when identifying certain groups of the Indigenous community. I am no exception.

It's time to clear up any misconceptions we may have and start becoming a much more respectful society.

We all have several different components to us which make us who we are. Take a look at yourself. What is it about you that defines you? Your gender? Race? Ethnicity? Occupation? Marital status? Age? Its actually all of the above. It’s what makes up your identity. Now imagine someone taking a piece of your identity and getting it all wrong. Seems kind of annoying doesn’t it? Sadly, this is the truth for many Indigenous individuals as they are often misnamed and identified as part of an ethnicity different from their own.

Indigenous is a very broad term, including over 370 million people around the world today. The term includes 3 groups; The Métis, First Nations and Inuit. Unfortunately, several individuals, myself included, do not know how to differentiate between these terms and more, referring to the aforementioned terms and more such as aboriginal, Indian and tribes people. I am also very guilty of this. A misconception I personally had was that all terms meant the same thing. I also referred to using terms such as pioneers, which, has no accuracy at all. Having grown up using and hearing several different terms, it can be quite challenging to determine what is correct. So, what’s the correct term to use? Is there one term which can be used to encompass them all?

To a certain degree, yes there is a correct term to use. Indigenous, as aforementioned, includes the First Nations, Métis and Inuit. However, just because it is a term which includes all of these groups doesn’t mean its always correct to use. As explained in a CBC News video, by Ossie Michilin:

“Using the term Indigenous when you’re referring to a specific group is like saying asian when referring to the Vietnamese or Korean. It works sometimes, but if you use it all the time, it just sounds wrong.”

Finding the Right Term

Nevertheless, it is quite a challenging task to avoid sounding “wrong” when attempting to identify certain groups or individuals. However, there are a few simple things which you can do to avoid being offensive and sounding wrong. First and foremost, be as specific as you can. You never want to use a broad term unless absolutely necessary. When is it absolutely necessary? When you are referring to more than one group. These little tips and tricks should help you to be more accurate and respectful.

If all else fails and you still aren’t sure what term to use, do as Ossie suggests and just ask. There’s nothing wrong with clarifying the term with which people self-identify. As Ossie says, “Most people are happy to tell you where they’re from.” This is definitely the best way to avoid offending anyone as well as a very respectful and open way to embrace their identity.

Our ethnicity is a big part of our identity and is often one of the first things people identify about us. I would hate to be misidentified and I’m sure anyone else would be too. However, I believe that as a society we are all learning about the Indigenous community and it is one of the goals of Indigenous studies to focus on the mistakes we’ve been making as people. Even I'm learning more about their culture and history everyday. You can’t really fix a mistake if you don’t identify it for what it is. What are some common misconceptions you’ve had in regards to the Indigenous community?

Links to Useful Resources!

Youtube Video by CBC News:

https://youtu.be/XEzjA5RoLv0

Defining Ethnicity:

http://www.dictionary.com/browse/ethnicity?s=t

More on Inuit:

https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/inuit/

More on First Nations:

https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/first-nations/

More on The Métis:

https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/metis/

Defining Indigenous:

http://www.dictionary.com/browse/indigenous