5 Indigenous Terms Used In Canadian English, Part I
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Canada is a multicultural society where, generally, peoples’ differences are openly celebrated. Due in part to this open multiculturalism, Canadian English has evolved over the years to adopt words from various languages, including Indigenous ones. Here is a brief list of only some of the Indigenous words commonly used in Canadian English*:
*NOTE: These words are not necessarily unique to Canadian English. They are, however, commonly used in the English language spoken in Canada.
KOOKUM
Using a word from another language to refer to one’s grandparent while speaking English in Canada is very common (see blog post: “Grandparents In Canada”). “Kookum” is an example of this practice.
Coming from Cree, one of the most populous Indigenous languages spoken in Canada, “kookum” means “grandmother.” Typically, if someone’s grandmother is Cree, they will call her “Kookum” or say, “my kookum.” When others are referencing someone’s Cree grandmother, they might also call her “Kookum” or “your kookum.”
TOBOGGAN
Originally borrowed from an Algonquian language spoken in modern-day Quebec, this word refers to a wooden sled with a curved front. Nowadays in Canada, this word can also be heard referencing all types of sleds, regardless of their material or design.
With “toboggan” being such a common term in Canada, it is often used as both a noun and a verb:
toboggan (noun): as described above
tobogganing (noun): the activity of sliding down a hill using a toboggan
to toboggan (verb): to slide down a hill using a toboggan
While the word, “sled,” is understood, and sometimes used, by Canadians, it is typically considered an example of American English, as “toboggan” is the recorded preference in the Canadian variant of the English language.
Traditional Toboggan. Illustration courtesy of William Hamilton Gibson, 1850–1896 - Camp Life in the Woods and the Tricks of Trapping and Trap Making, scan from Gutenberg etext, Public Domain, via WikiPedia.
TIPI
This word is believed to have entered the English language from Lakota, a tongue spoken by the Lakota people of the United States and Canada. Also spelled, “teepee,” this word is used to refer to a conical shelter made up of tied wooden logs leaning against each other that are together wrapped in an animal hide. This traditional shelter is common among a variety of Indigenous peoples in North America.
In Canada today, tipis can sometimes be seen on display in or outside of public places like city halls, libraries, museums, schools, parks, and so on. They can even be found outside during public holidays and Indigenous-specific events.
Wahpeton Dakota First Nation Tipi, Mitho Askiy Kiskēyihtamowin (Hannin Creek Education and Applied Research Centre), Saskatchewan. Photo courtesy of Josh Douglas.
TOTEM
A word originating from Ojibwe, “totem” can be roughly translated to “clan,” “family,” or “lineage.” In modern Canadian English, the word “totem” is used to refer to a monument of stacked spirit beings, which serves as a symbolic sacred object to a particular Indigenous people group, family, or clan. As such, creating totems is not unique to the Ojibwe peoples but is a tradition shared by countless Indigenous groups across North America.
In Canada, totems can sometimes be found on school grounds, at museums, in parks, and more. Over the last nearly 30 years, teachings on the importance of totems to Indigenous communities have taken place in public elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools across the country either as a part of Native/Indigenous Studies, Social Studies, History, English Language Arts, and/or Art class, among others.
Totem Pole In Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Photo courtesy of Andrevruas - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, via WikiPedia.
CHINOOK
This Salish/Chinook Jargon word is often used on weather apps and televised/streamed weather reports in Canada. In Canadian English, a “chinook” is an unusually warm wind that has come from the Pacific Ocean over the Coast and Rocky Mountain ranges to settle on the prairie. As one can imagine, this term is more popularly used in Western Canada (see blog post: “37 Words Common to Canadian Geography”).
Had you heard of any of these words? Did any of these surprise you? Which ones were they? Let me know in the comments below.
