In my opinion, language and words we use have a lot of power. When referring to Indigenous peoples there are different terminology has has come and gone, and many that are still being used. Some terminology used when referring to the First peoples of Canada includes “Native”, “Indian”, “Aboriginal”, “First Nations” and “Indigenous”. By taking a First Nations class and Decolonization class in my Social Work program I have been educated not the right terminology to address the First peoples of Canada. In my decolonization class, we have been thought and instructed to use to term Indigenous, as that is the correct term to address the First peoples of Canada. When reading historical documents and work done by historians, I notice the terminology used are “Native” and “Indian”. I have to understand that these terms are not acceptable and should not be used so it is quite surprising for me to hear and see these be used in this day and age, even in the university.
This semester, I took an Indigenous literature class and we analyze work done by Indigenous authors. When discussing the works or analyzing what we have read, I always find it shocking to hear fellow students use “Natives” when referring to Indigenous people. I believe we should not use this words because historically, they have been used to degrade and as a form of insult to Indigenous peoples. Since we’re moving forward and changing the way Indigenous people have been treated from the past, we should also refer to them appropriately and respectfully as a way to show our respect.
This article shared by my professor in history class discusses the terminology which should be used when addressing Indigenous peoples: http://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/indigenous-aboriginal-which-is-correct-1.3771433