EXPLANATION OF TERMS

Many Indigenous Aboriginal Peoples of Canada • An elder shares his/her under- • The first peoples in Canada and standings through teachings, ceremonies, stories and/or songs. people prefer their descendants • Individual elders hold different • Includes First Nations, Métis terms based on gifts or talents. and Inuit their specific • The role of an elder and the appro- • Each group is distinct and has its priate protocols for approaching own history, culture, protocols, community an elder vary from community to traditions and languages. and traditional community. • Usually used as a term in • An elder does not have to be a names for government policy senior citizen; the carrying of identification. • In November 2015, the Canadian knowledge and the recognition by government renamed Aboriginal the community are the key factors Affairs and Northern Develop- in determining who is an elder. ment to Indigenous Affairs and (Guiding Voices Northern Development. www.learnalberta.ca/content/ fnmigv/index.html) Bill C-31 Indian Eskimo • A person who gained or regained • Eskimo is derived from the Cree Indian status because of the Act word Askipowak meaning raw to Amend the Indian Act, 1985 meat eaters. This term, however, • Prior to Bill C-31, status Indian is offensive to Inuit in Canada women lost their status, band because it is viewed as derogatory membership and all associated and discriminatory. rights when they married • Eskimo is the commonly used non-status men. acceptable term for Indigenous people of Alaska and is defined in Ceremonialist American policy and legislation. • A highly respected member of a First Nations or Métis community First Nations • Recognized and identified by mem- • First Nations refers to status and non- bers of the community as being status Indian peoples in Canada. knowledgeable about spirituality • Not a legal term; the Canadian and spiritual practices constitution and legislation still (Guiding Voices use the term Indian www.learnalberta.ca/content/ • Term used by the Assembly fnmigv/index.html) of First Nations (www.afn.ca/en /about-afn/description-of-the-afn) Elder • Refers to the over 617 distinct • A highly respected member of Indigenous groups in Canada a First Nations, Métis or Inuit community • Each Indigenous group has its own distinct culture, language, • Recognized and identified by traditions and protocols. members of the community as carrying important wisdom, • First Nation is also used to oral traditions and knowledge of replace band when referring their culture to communities.

Walking Together: Education for Reconciliation FNMI Métis • An acronym for First Nations, • The Métis are one of three Métis and Inuit used in many distinct Indigenous peoples in Alberta educational publications Canada recognized under the • This acronym should not be used 1982 Canadian constitution and to refer to First Nations, Métis have a culture, language and and/or Inuit peoples as it is traditions distinct from First Nations and Inuit. considered offensive by many and often misunderstood. • The historical term used to describe children born to Indigenous Peoples First Nations women and • Term used globally to refer to the European men; it has become original inhabitants of any region the accepted term to describe all NEXT STEPS children born of First Nations • Includes the three groups of women and European men. Indigenous people in Canada: »»» • The Supreme Court of Canada First Nations, Métis and Inuit identified three broad factors Educators always want to be respectful in Inuit in determining who is Métis: self-identification, ancestral their conversations and • “The people” in Inuktitut connection to the historic working relationships language Métis community and with people of a different • Inuit is plural and the singular community acceptance culture. This includes form is Inuk. (http://albertametis.com/metis- using the culturally • The Indigenous people in North- rights/who-is-metis/). appropriate terminology ern Canada who live in Nunavut, when working with First the Yukon, Northwest Territories, Non-status Indian Northern Quebec and Northern • A First Nations person who is not Nations, Métis and Inuit. Labrador. Specifically, Inuit orig- registered or who has lost their The terms defined in this status under the Indian Act inated in the central and eastern fact sheet are general Arctic and Inuvialuit originated guidelines, and best in the western Arctic. Status/Registered Indian • A First Nations person who practice is to confirm with Knowledge Keeper meets the requirements and is the individual beforehand • A member of a First Nations, registered with the Canadian how they wish to be Métis or Inuit community government under the Indian Act addressed. For example, one should not assume • Recognized and identified by Treaty Indian elders of the community as being that an individual can be • A status Indian whose ancestors knowledgeable about cultural introduced as First Nation signed a treaty (legal document practices, products or world views as they may prefer to be between nations) with the Crown (Guiding Voices introduced using their www.learnalberta.ca/content/ band name. fnmigv/index.html)

Stepping Stones | COMMON TERMINOLOGY FOR INDIGENOUS PEOPLE OF CANADA