It used to be Eskimo was the standard term. Then Alaska Native become more widespread, but that still included three different distinct groups: American Indians, Aleut, and those referred to as "Eskimo." At the same time there was a push to be more specific about tribal or cultural identity. So, you'd hear people state that they were Yupik or Inupiat. However, it is often still accompanied by the qualifier, like, "Yupik Eskimo."
Inuit is not as widely used in Alaska. And in some cases, if you say it to a western Yupik Eskimo, they will say, "Huh? What does that mean?"
It is perhaps moving in the direction of becoming obsolete, in some ways, but it is still commonly used. Just like the term Indian. Many tribal people grew up with these terms and aren't overly sensitive to it, or don't have a negative connotation. People seem to be slowly moving over to simply "Native" and then specifying their cultural group as appropriate.
Read other answers by Sam Morningstar on Quora:
- Do Native Americans feel any sort of kinship with the First Nations people of Canada?
- What did Native Americans think of "Dances With Wolves", back when it was released?
- How much do Native Americans presently use their indigenous languages in daily life?
from Quora http://ift.tt/28iQDyo
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