Jann Arden's use of the term "Eskimo" in social media posts this week has upset some of the Canadian singing star's fans.

Arden posted a picture online of her elderly mother and her dog bundled up together in the cold.

She captioned it, "My Eskimo family."

Some fans challenged Arden online, for using a word they considered outdated and offensive.

Other Arden followers defended the singer's use of the word.

Then, Arden weighed in again.

Julie Daum was one of the Canadian singer's many fans, until she saw Arden's Facebook posts.

"Perhaps she just didn't understand," said Daum, a music lover and Wet'suwe'ten mediator who lives in Stellaquo, B.C.

'That is an offensive word'

"A lot of Indigenous people find that pejorative, that is an offensive word to be called. We much prefer to use our own words to describe ourselves," Daum said.

Julie Daum was one of Jann Arden's biggest fans. (Contributed)

"She's an eloquent writer and songwriter. She's funny. I admired [her] for being fiercely honest, and sassy," said Daum,

But she was disappointed by Arden's response to the social media debate on her Facebook page.

That 'Insensitive' song

"Her response was not respectful," said Daum. "My husband was like, 'Didn't she write that song, Insensitive? Maybe she learned how to be insensitive a little too well.

"To be really clear, it is racist to not respect how we are even identifying ourselves," Daum added.

The football team in Arden's home province is still called The Edmonton Eskimos.

But last year, the head of Canada's national Inuit organization said the term Eskimo was derogatory, offensive, and unacceptable, and symbolizes colonial policies.

Fan sending CDs back to Arden

Arden's publicist didn't respond to a CBC request for comment, but the artist once again took to Twitter.

When you make the news for saying your 80 year old mother in a parka looks like an Eskimo, you know it's a slow news day. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/shameonyouCBC?src=hash">#shameonyouCBC</a> —@jannarden

As for the once ardent Arden fan, Julie Daum said she'll box up her Arden CDs and mail them back to the singer.

But she'll include a letter to Arden, inviting her to have a conversation about why words matter.

"What she thinks maybe is a joke is not funny to the Indigenous people of this country," said Daum.

Arden has had 17 top 10 singles, sold more than two million albums and won eight Juno awards. This year, she co-hosted the Juno Awards and was the Calgary Stampede parade marshal alongside country singer Paul Brandt.