Originally Posted by
Elesirdur
Okay so I've put off mentioning this but we don't have very many "Native Americans" in Canada. Just as there aren't that many "African Americans" in the UK.
If Tank Standing Buffalo was from one of the First Nations in Alberta he's probably of a Cree or Blackfoot speaking nation, who use that naming system like other peoples of that language group.
As a quick aside, the PC/approved ethnicity terms used by the Government of Canada are:
- Aboriginal peoples, encompassing all "indigenous" (not really a PC term to use these days) peoples in Canada including First Nations, Inuit, and Metis
- First Nations, peoples who are of aboriginal descent but are not Inuit or Metis
- Inuit, specifically a distinct ethno-linguistic group living in the Arctic seperate from First Nations and Inuit peoples. (Used to be called "Eskimos" but that's a pretty derogatory term these days)
- Metis, people who can trace their heritage, through the matrilinial line, to a union of a First Nations woman and a non-Aboriginal man. To be an actual Metis it's even more specific as coming from a woman who was of the Cree, Ojibway, Algonquin, Saulteux, and Menomiee and a man who was usually French (Canadien) or Scottish, living in Rupert's Land. I think DINA is specific about who is an actual Metis person and other mixed-race Aboriginal/Non-Aboriginal unions don't count for Metis but may still count for other status.