About Subject Tag Terminology
A Statement on Indigenous Names
Items in the Ruth Gorman fonds refer to Indigenous Peoples by the names settlers ascribed to them. Though this was common during the time they were produced, today these terms are at best inaccurate, and at worst offensive. In the interest of mitigating harm, the subject tags in the Ruth Gorman Curated Archive refer to Indigenous Peoples by the names they use to self-identify at the time this website was constructed.
Some organizations referred to in the fonds use names that are now considered outdated or offensive. These groups may still exist in the present day, however they have likely transitioned to new names. This is likely the case for the “Friends of the Indians Society of Edmonton.” It is possible that name changes to institutions like these represented other changes in the organization or conglomeration with other institutions, and thus the project team determined in the interest of maintaining these boundaries, protecting archival accuracy, and preventing erasure of colonial history, their historical names would be retained as they appear in the fonds.
Glossary of Superseded Terms
Some subject tags describe the items differently from the terms used in the fonds. The project team decided to use self-selected names wherever possible in an attempt to maintain consistency. This decision was made to achieve accuracy in the records, respect the organizations and peoples they refer to, and to consolidate terms where they are referred to with alternate names. However, the team would like to acknowledge there are competing interests regarding terminology in the interest of preserving archival accuracy, as well as limitations in their own ability to determine accurate terms; should you notice any terms that require correction, please contact the Thomas A. Edge Archives & Special Collections. Going forward, further consultation with Indigenous stakeholders will be undertaken. In an attempt to retain transparency and balance the goals or archival accuracy and harm reduction, the following supersessions have been documented:
Term |
Antiquated Terms & Alternate Names |
|
Alberta School Councils' Association |
Formerly: Alberta Federation of Home and School Associations |
|
Canada West Foundation |
Formerly: West-Fed |
|
Indian Affairs |
The name “Indian Affairs” has been retained because the Department of Indian Affairs no longer exists in its current state. There are now two federal departments overseeing Indigenous affairs: Indigenous Services Canada and Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada |
|
Indian Association of Alberta |
Alternate names: Alberta Indian Association (AIA), possibly also Indian Association of Alberta, Alberta Indian Society |
|
Maskwacis |
The community formerly known as “Hobbema” was returned to its traditional name of “Maskwacis” on January 1, 2014. The name “Maskwacis” is Cree for “Bear Hill”, and was changed to reflect the heritage and traditions of the Indigenous Peoples of the area. |
|
Samson Cree Nation |
Formerly referred to as Samson Band |
|
Stoney Nakoda First Nations |
Formerly referred to as Stoney Tribe |
Subject Terms Categorization
In an attempt to make the Browse All page more useful for visitors, subject terms were split into categories such as Individuals, Organizations, and so on. The project team decided to separate the First Nations subject headings into their own category in order to promote access to associated records, but the team recognizes that this decision may also inadvertently cause harm by creating a separation of records with an Indigenous context from the rest of the collection. Consultation about this decision will be undertaken with Indigenous stakeholders.