Pascall Eskimos are an iconic New Zealand lolly. NewZealanders by the millions have been eating this marshmarrow sweet since1955.
A Canadian tourist says the lollies are offensive to Inuit people.
Canadian tourist Seeka Lee Veevee Parsons, 21, an Inuit of the Nunavut Territory in Canada, was shocked when she found the lollies for sale last week, saying they are an insult to her people.
The word Eskimo was unacceptable in her country and carried with it negative racial connotations, she told the Taranaki Daily News.
The correct term was Inuit, Ms Parsons said.
"I was taken aback. When I was a little girl white kids in the community used to tease me about it in a bad way. It's just not the correct term."
She intends sending packets of the iconic confectionary to the Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and her grandfather, a Inuit tribal elder in the Nunavut Territory.
Not only has the name of the lolly aroused painful memories, she believes the shape is an unfair stereotype of her people.
A spokesman for Cadbury/Pascall, which makes the sweets, said the product had been in the market for many years and it was never their intention to offend anyone.
The lolly shape and name would not be changed now even though they had been made aware it had caused offence. There is a lot of discussion. I do not particularly like sweets, and I bought this packet to take this photos.
What do my fellow bloggers from Canada think?
1 comment:
I'd like a bite :P
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