An issue some thought had been settled has been reopened in Edmonton, where the city’s football team is reviving a discontinued name that was the topic of much debate and disagreement — something that continues to this day.
In 2020, the CFL club’s board of directors made the decision to discontinue the use of the word “Eskimo” and launch a rebrand. The following year after consultations and a public poll, the team renamed the Edmonton Elks.
Prior to that, the CFL team faced criticism for its name over the years, with some people arguing it was racist, offensive and showed a lack of respect for the Inuit community in northern regions of Canada and the U.S. But not all felt that way — some in the Inuit community felt pride over the Eskimos name.
The tipping point came when sponsors threatened to pull their support.
Now, the team’s leadership is bringing the Eskimos name back — well, sort of.
“We are going to be proud of the Eskimo era of this franchise. We are done hiding in the shadows from something that really isn’t something to be afraid of,” said Chris Morris, 56, who was appointed the team’s president and chief executive last year. Morris also wore the green and gold for 14 seasons, as a linebacker from 1992 to 2005.
“For one reason or another, over the last few years, the term ‘Eskimos’ internally here in this organization has been stricken further and further from how we talk about ourselves,” Morris said.
The leader made the comments on Monday at an event welcoming longtime equipment manager Dwayne Mandrusiak back to the club, after he was sacked a few years ago.
“Over the years, we’ve forgotten elements of our history. And with Dwayne coming back here, that will return,” Morris said.
“We are gonna be proud of the Eskimo era of this franchise. We are done hiding in the shadows from something that really isn’t something to be afraid of: 14 Great Cup Championships, the most incredible fan support, and I apologize to our fans, for over the years somehow being villainized for being called the Eskimo fan base.”
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Morris stressed the team won’t be ditching the Elks name on the gridiron, but rather is going to stop pretending the Eskimos name never existed.
“Internally, we will use the term ‘Eskimos’ because we are proud of that history as an organization that did some many great things,” he said, explaining he wants the Eskimos name to be associated with the excellence achieved under it. “We are honouring the past of this organization. We … honour what was great.”
Some of the changes include putting back up a sign over the entrance of the team’s locker room saying, “Once an Eskimo, always an Eskimo.”
“It was a brotherhood, it was a way of doing things, it was the sign that you were part of something bigger than yourselves, which made a difference not just on the field, but in the community,” Morris said.
The team’s vintage fire truck that used to make laps around the field after a touchdown will also have the Eskimos name put back on.
“We are proud of that history, and we are going to embrace it moving forward.”
Reaction to the announcement was mixed.
Lifelong football fan Kimberly Tologanak wants the team to ditch the name “Elks” and return to its roots.
“Inuit that hunt polar bears and warriors, that’s the strong people,” Tologanak said. “Edmonton Eskimos are a strong team and I think it goes with who we are as Eskimos.
“The team is strong and resilient like Inuit people.”
The Inuk woman moved to Edmonton 25 years ago said the former name made her proud.
“To me, I grew up with being known as an ‘Eskimo,’ so that’s what I knew,” the passionate fan said, adding people she knows up north were also proud of the name. “It doesn’t offend me.”
But not all people of her heritage feel that way.
Tupaarnaq Kopeck is Inuit and grew up in Greenland before moving to Denmark, where she first learned of the negative connotation attached to the word “Eskimo.”
“It was used against me as a slur, as a dehumanizing word against me and my people,” Kopeck said.
She now lives in Spruce Grove and said her heart started racing when she heard the team would be using “Edmonton Eskimos” again in some capacity.
She said many in the Inuit community consider the word racist.
“Words have power,” Kopeck said, adding she was happy when the team changed its name in 2020, even while acknowledging amongst her own community members there’s no consensus on how one should feel about the former name.
“I think they should invite a group of Inuit and hear their thoughts and talk to them, have conversations. That’s important.”
She said she understands there’s great nostalgia attached to the former name for some fans, but argued it’s a step backward for reconciliation with the Indigenous community.
“There’s people in the Elks that have those beliefs — I don’t think I want to support that, if that’s what they truly believe. That makes me really sad and upset.”
“Reconciliation has to be continuous.”
On Monday, Morris apologized to fans for being villainized. Longtime fan Troy Lutz said that comment resonated.
“Any time you use the word ‘Eskimos’ on Facebook, there’s people attacking you —people that didn’t care about the game,” he said.
Tologanak said she would love to see the team lean into the old name more by celebrating Inuit culture or hiring more Inuit people. But what she wants the most: a winning team that gets more people in the seats at Commonwealth Stadium.
“Our team hasn’t been doing very well since the name change. The fan base has gone down, I think.”
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What’s in a name? Elks vs. Eskimos debate returns to Edmonton football team
