Words matter (English)

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

Aboriginal HISTORY, USE & POSSIBLE SENSITIVITIES

The term “Aboriginal” stems from the Latin words ab and origine, meaning “from the beginning”, and is a commonly used word, including in museum databases. “Aboriginal” describes the original inhabitants of a place and is primarily used to refer to Indigenous peoples in Australia and Canada (see also “Indigenous”). However, in Canada, there has been a recent preference for the use of Indigenous.

The term does not adequately describe the complexity and diversity of Indigenous peoples. Many Indigenous peoples in both countries do not like to be referred to as “Aboriginal”, preferring to emphasize other markers of their identity such as language, land and clan relationships.

In Canada the term came into general use in the 1980s, when a legal and overarching term was sought to collectively describe the existing—but controversial—categories “Indian,” “Inuit” and “Métis” (see also “Indian” and “Eskimo”).

SUGGESTIONS

• Adopt the terminology used and accepted as respectful by the people themselves.

• In cases where it is not possible to avoid generalization, for example, should it be impossible to find out the specific group from which a person/object comes, then use “Aboriginal” as a compound noun, always with capital “A”: Aboriginal people(s), Aboriginal Australians.

• In Canada, certain First Nations groups in Ontario prefer “Indigenous,” i.e. “Indigenous people(s).” “First Nation(s) people(s)” may also be acceptable.

• In Australia, “Aboriginal” and “Torres Strait Islander peoples” is in most situations appropriate.

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GLOSSARY OF TERMS

Allochtoon HISTORY, USE & POSSIBLE SENSITIVITIES

Allochtoon entered the Dutch language in the 20th century as a geological term. The term, which literally means “from another soil/location” (antonym autochtoon) was introduced as an identity category in the Netherlands in the 1970s to replace “immigrant,” which by that time had started to develop negative connotations.

While the term itself was intended to be generic and to describe anyone born outside or with one parent born outside the Netherlands, it was split into the subcategories of Western and non-Western, thus creating a distinction between different categories of outsiders.

The term has increasingly been used as a stand-in for people who appear to be visibly different, i.e. non-White people.

“Allochtoon” has lost favor with some, including policy makers and the public alike, with some municipalities deciding no longer to use the term.

SUGGESTIONS

• Adopt the terminology used and accepted as respectful by the people themselves.

• There is an increasing tendency to use hyphenated identification, for example, Moroccan-Dutch, Surinamese-Dutch etc.

• The phrase “person of ... background” is commonly used and acceptable for many.

• Whatever of the three alternatives you choose, it should be used consistently. For example, if we choose to describe someone as a person of Surinamese background then we should also say a person of German or Japanese background.

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