That Is What Most Of The Daisy Comments Say

indigenous terminology in north america

it's indigenous peoples' day in the usa! to celebrate i am here to help non-indigenous folks in north america to think about the terminology they use because i know not all of y'all know how the nuances of the many things we're called. in general, when talking about an indigenous person or character and referring to their indigeneity, referring to their specific culture is the best option. i am indigenous, but more specifically i am cree. that said, let's talk about terminology while recognizing that the following list is super simplified to give you a brief overview.

indigenous is an umbrella term that refers to the original inhabitants of a land. it is used to talk about indigenous people worldwide. we use it as a collective term because we share many interests, but we are all different peoples and nations. people who are māori or sámi or ainu are all indigenous, but they're all from very different places and cultures. indigenous as a term unites us, but shouldn't be used to erase our differences.

aboriginal is, like indigenous, an umbrella term that refers to the original inhabitants of a land. aboriginal was a favoured term in canada for many years and is still used by some multi-nation organizations. canada's indigenous peoples' day (‪june 21‬) is also sometimes called aboriginal peoples' day.

native american is a term that refers specifically to indigenous people living in what is currently the contiguous united states of america. people living in alaska or hawaii may prefer the term native hawaiian or native alaskan. if you call someone in canada native american they'll know what you mean, but it's not the preferred term. like indigenous, it is an umbrella term and covers many different tribes/nations. it is a term assigned to indigenous people and adopted by us, but not one we came up with ourselves.

native alaskan is an umbrella term that refers to indigenous people living in what is currently alaska. they are culturally distinct peoples from native american cultures. you may be used to calling native alaskans "esk*mos" and if you are you should stop that right fucking now because esk*mo is a derrogatory term that comes from cree slang. some native alaskan people are inuit (see below), but not all are.

native hawaiian is a term for indigenous hawaiians. this is another umbrella term. native hawaiians were not included in federal programs for native americans until the 70s and some programs still exclude them, as do many discussions about native american issues even though they are also an indigenous group colonized by the usa.

native is an umbrella term used by indigenous people to refer to themselves. in north america, it may be socially acceptable to refer to indigenous people as being native, but ymmv and elsewhere in the world, it carries more racist, colonial baggage than it does here, where it is generally understood as a shortened form of native american.

american indian is a dated term that is still used in some official spaces in the united states. older indigenous people may use this (or the term indian) because they're used to saying it. if you're not indigenous, you should probably say native american or indigenous. amerindian is a portmanteau of this term and similarly isn't really favoured anymore.

indian is a dated term for indigenous people in canada and the united states. it stems from the time of christopher columbus when columbus decided to call us "indian". if you are non-indigenous, do not refer to indigenous people as indian. in canada, it is also a legal designation tied to the indian act that means some indigenous people hold "indian status," which grants them certain rights. some indigenous people in north america have reclaimed the term indian to refer to themselves.

ndn is a slang term we use to refer to ourselves online. if you're non-indigenous then bro. do not. it just stands for indian, you can't!

first nations is a term analogous to native american. it is used in canada to refer to the many indigenous nations south of the arctic circle. as someone who is cree, i'm first nations. it is an umbrella term, but not every indigenous person in canada is first nations. unlike "indian", it is not a legal term.

inuit is the term for indigenous peoples that live in what is currently canada's north. some indigenous people in alaska (and elsewhere) may also identify as inuit because the american/canadian border is a new addition in the grand scope of their histories. inuit are culturally distinct from first nations/native americans. also inuit means "the people" and y'all my inuk friend is so fucking amused every time someone says "the inuit people" because y'all are out here saying "the the people people." not all indigenous people in the north are inuit.

métis is a term for people who are descended from specific communities where indigenous people and non-indigenous settlers intermarried and created their own culture. they are specific, cultural communities within canada with their own culture and language. not everyone with mixed indigenous and settler ancestry is métis. for example, my dad is white and my mom is cree. i am not métis because i don't have any connection to a historic métis community. again, this is not a legal term the way indian is.

redsk*n is a derogatory term for native american/first nations people. the term originates from the genocide of our peoples, tied with the practice of collecting bounties for the scalps (the "red skins" in question) or other body parts of indigenous people in the west. do not use the term. even if you're talking about the football team that recently changed its name, say "the washington team" or something similar. it's a slur. (source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/a-brief-history-of-the-word-redskin-and-how-it-became-a-source-of-controversy/2016/05/19/062cd618-187f-11e6-9e16-2e5a123aac62_story.html)

esk*mo is another slur. it's an anglicized version of askipiw, a cree word which is more or less saying that inuit eat raw meat (i.e. that is implying they're more akin to animals than people). again, even when you're referring to sports teams that use the term in their name, don't say it. it doesn't matter what some white dude on QI told you, it's not a "more acceptable" umbrella term for northern indigenous peoples. some people might use it to refer to themselves still, but, as with other terminology on this list, if you're not indigenous, don't say it!

tw // rape , sexual assault

in case you are still ignorant about what’s happening in India right now, here’s a link to numerous articles from news agencies highlighting it for you.

the first incident that sparked it off was in Hathras, a city in the state of Uttar Pradesh. a Dalit woman was gang raped almost two weeks ago but the case didn’t gain any major media coverage because it was, apparently, “normal”. she died a few days ago, and the Uttar Pradesh police cremated her body in the middle of the night at 2:40 AM without the consent of her family. they were locked inside their house and not allowed to see their daughter for one last time.

m.thewire.in

UP Police Locked Us Up, Didn t Allow Us to See Body, Cremated Her at 3 am: Hathras Victim s Family

The Wire travels to the house of the Dalit victim in a village dominated by upper caste Thakur households.

BBC News

Hathras gang rape: India victim cremated 'without family's consent'

The woman's death after she was gang raped allegedly by upper-caste men has caused huge anger in India.

a minor was kidnapped and gang raped by three men in Madhya Pradesh a day after the young woman from Hathras died and was cremated without her family’s consent.

NDTV.com

Minor Gang-Raped By 3 In Madhya Pradesh A Day After Hathras Victim Dies

A minor girl was kidnapped from her house and gang-raped by three men in a field in Madhya Pradesh's Khargone district, police said today, e

Bulandshahr, another city in Uttar Pradesh; a man raped a 14 year old girl. another example of blatant incompetence by the government.

NDTV.com

Man Rapes 14-Year-Old In Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr: Police

A minor girl was allegedly raped by her neighbour in Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr, police said on Wednesday.

these are the statistics of India presently. 87 rape cases are reported per day in Uttar Pradesh alone. PER DAY. that’s only the people who actually gathered up the courage to approach law enforcement, or what is left of it, anyway.

NDTV.com

87 Rape Cases A Day, Crimes Against Women Up By 7%, Shows National Data

India recorded an average 87 rape cases every day in 2019 and 4,05,861 cases of crimes against women during the year -- a rise of over seven

Balrampur, Uttar Pradesh. a young woman is drugged and gang raped, and loses her life. she is mutilated and left for dead. one day after what happened in Hathras. one day.

NDTV.com

Amid Hathras Outrage, UP 22-Year-Old Drugged, Allegedly Gang Raped, Dies

Amid outrage in the country over the gang rape and death of a young woman in Uttar Pradesh's Hathras, another similar case has been reported

Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh. an 8 year old girl is raped. this incident happens one day after Hathras. just one day.

NDTV.com

20-Year-Old Allegedly Rapes 8-Year-Old Neighbour In UP's Azamgarh: Police

A 20-year-old man allegedly raped an eight-year-old girl in a village in Azamgarh district of Uttar Pradesh, the police said on Wednesday.

here’s coverage from the BBC, if you are wary of domestic news agencies. i think CNN covered it, but other than that, i haven’t heard of any major international agencies that have talked about this yet.

BBC News

Balrampur: Anger grows after new India 'gang rape' death

The latest incident comes just as another woman died this week after being allegedly gang raped.

this is crucial. this is critical. this is atrocious. this might not be the brand of aesthetic that you have on your blog, but please help the people of our country spread this news. let the utter incompetence and evidence tampering to save the accused on the part of the police and the government be highlighted. let everyone know that the people currently in power care nothing for women or for minorities until it sparks national outrage, and then, and only then, do they even consider breaking a silence on a topic they should have spoken out on and taken the strictest action possible against so long ago.

i will do my best to keep this updated, but it is so emotionally and mentally exhausting, waking up every day to horror after horror and knowing that the government is doing nothing to help, has never done anything to help.

please make sure this news reaches as many people as possible. please, speak up. please keep talking about this. don’t let them fade away as yet another statistic.

might fuck around and read a 500 page physical published book in one sitting like it’s 2006 and I’m being bullied in middle school so I take refuge in the library and inhale books at a frightening speed that I have not been able to replicate since

today is indigenous peoples day and it’s a great day to give to the sovereign bodies institute

it’s a database and info hub for missing and murdered indigenous women. it’s trans inclusive and doing vital work.

i kicked them 10bux. i’m not telling you this because i want to humblebrag about how performatively woke i am, but because there’s research to suggest that the more visibly common/popular an act is, the more likely other people will do it.

as usual, thanks to @the-blackfoot-contessa for the rec

say his name. no justice, no peace.

Interspecies lesbianism

One of my biggest reasons for why low-empathy autistic Martin is my favorite is how much it demolishes the whole “empathy = morality” and “low empathy = bad, feels other people don’t matter” thing.  I have a lot of feelings so am gonna just dump ‘em all here in a disjointed manifesto.

Just look at it:  He has a reputation for caring and for doting on people, but relies on tangible, accessible ways to show it.  Bring them tea.  Tell them to sleep.  Listen to their problems.  It’s very learned, or self-taught rather, and makes so much sense in the context of how he grew up caring for his mother.  He flounders when those scripts are rejected:

Basira:  You can’t just stand next to someone with a cup of tea and hope everything’s gonna be all right.

Martin: That’s not fair.  You don’t even know me.  

Basira:  Prove it.

Martin:   Oh–h-hi!  Hey, hey Melanie, uh–  Can I get youuuu… a… cup… of… tea?

Even when the apocalypse happened, he was using those scripts.  Jon is in pain, Jon is despairing, time to make him a cup of tea!  Martin’s never been in a “tea will solve everything” denial, but it’s a reliable, tangible way he uses to offer comfort and make someone feel supported.  He doesn’t have a script for how to respond to “was just mentally tortured by our boss” or “blaming self for ending the world.”

We see him develop a new way to choose to care and be kind as their journey begins: treating the victims they meet as people, even if the victims can’t hear.  

Also building off of the “the masking is lower priority in the apocalypse” ideas!!  There’s a matter of who he’s around.  For most of season 5, it’s just Jon!  Jon who has so much faith in him, Jon who he knows loves and accepts him.  There’s less of a need to perform and fit in, and the same goes the other way around.  This is supported even more by how quickly Martin shifted back when Basira showed up: this is familiar territory again, defusing arguments and being group glue, and it quickly feels like we’re back to “the old Martin.”  

I also love this for how it plays out in him and Jon being in a relationship.  It’s very likely this is new territory for Martin!  He demonstrates his caring by pushing Jon to share his feelings, but rarely shares his own.  When he actually hears what those feelings are, they’re often hard for him to process, or he responds in ways that feel overly pragmatic or insensitive.  It doesn’t come naturally to him.

There’s a jab Peter keeps returning to during season 4 as he tries to groom Martin for the Lonely:  Be honest with yourself, Martin.  You don’t really care, Martin.  You never really cared, it’s all just habit.  It’s so on-the-nose targeted towards someone where caring for others is a choice, not based on empathetic feelings.  It’s so in line with how people talk about the idea of “low empathy.”  But Martin threw it right back in his face, and it couldn’t be more satisfying.

time travel au? time travel au.

Season 5 Jon has two moods and they are Bastard and Soft. Season 1 Jon is just So Done.

Read the fic here.

Yes, Spain!!!!