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We have made an announcement today regarding our Northern Engagement Program and team name. For more information go here: https://t.co/vFG5uazlaK pic.twitter.com/LYxjJ5bRpZ — Edmonton Eskimos (@EdmontonEsks) February 14, 2020

The research and engagement program mostly centred around the team’s name, and included meetings with Inuit and community leaders in Iqaluit, Inuvik, Yellowknife and Ottawa. The research also included interviews with Inuit in Edmonton and a telephone survey targeting groups of Inuit across the country.

“The consistent feedback was a desire for more engagement with the club,” Edmonton Eskimos staff said in a Friday press release. “There were a range of views regarding the club’s name but no consensus emerged to support a name change. The club has therefore decided to retain its name.”

The word “Eskimo” is controversial because it is considered derogatory in many circles. It was a name given to the Inuit by non-Inuit people and colonizers and was thought to mean “eater of raw meat.” Modern linguists believe that “Eskimo” comes from an Ojibwe word meaning “to net snowshoes,” referring to the process of weaving or netting sinew around a wood frame to create snowshoes.

The word “Inuit” is a much more palatable term, as it simply means “people.”

In 2015, the Ottawa Citizen sparked discussion when it put out an editorial, arguing that the team name was an example of “cultural appropriation”. That year, Natan Obed, the president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, Canada’s national Inuit organization, said the team’s name was derogatory.

Janice Agrios is chair of the board of directors for the Edmonton Eskimo Football Club. She says that the research program provided the club with “many insights”.

“Since launching the Northern Community Engagement Program, we have been warmly welcomed in the communities that we have visited. The consistent message was ‘come back and come more often,’” Agrios said. “This is a very important initiative for us.”