{"id":31460,"date":"2025-08-20T10:45:51","date_gmt":"2025-08-20T14:45:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.urelles.com\/magazine\/non-classifiee\/can-we-say-sitting-indian-style\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T21:28:21","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T01:28:21","slug":"can-we-say-sitting-indian-style","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.urelles.com\/en\/magazine\/urelles-en\/can-we-say-sitting-indian-style\/","title":{"rendered":"Can we say \u201csitting Indian style\u201d?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Sitting<\/figure>\n\n

To read more on this topic:<\/strong>Can we say \u00ab Eskimo \u00bb ?<\/a>Can we say \u00ab Indigenous people \u00bb?<\/a>Can we say \u00ab Too many chiefs, not enough Indians \u00bb ?<\/a><\/p>\n\n

Would you like to start a conversation about inclusive language in your organization? URelles can help you with this process! Find out <\/strong>our training courses on various topics related to equity, diversity, and inclusion<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

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For a long time, in schools and day camps, children were asked to \u201csit Indian\u201d to listen to a story or participate in an activity. If this expression sounds familiar to you, you’re not alone: it’s very common in Quebec! But today, more and more people are choosing not to use it anymore… and for very good reasons! <\/p>\n\n

As part of National Truth and Reconciliation Day, this is a great opportunity to reflect on our everyday language and the impact that certain expressions can have, even when they seem harmless. So let’s talk about the origin of this expression, its implications, and what we can say instead. <\/p>\n\n

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Where does the expression \u201csit like an Indian\u201d come from?<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n
\"Indian\"<\/figure>
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The expression refers to a sitting position on the floor with legs crossed, often used by children in schools, daycare centers, or learning environments. Although the exact origin of this expression is unknown, in North American popular culture, this posture has been widely associated with Indigenous peoples, hence the name. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

However, this language was used at a time when terms related to indigenous peoples were employed imprecisely, often without any real knowledge of the cultures concerned<\/a>. The expression therefore became established in common usage, not because it accurately described a culturally significant stance, but rather because it conveyed a vague and generalized idea that was rarely questioned. <\/p>\n\n

This type of language also reflects a time when people spoke about Indigenous peoples without them and when their cultures were often simplified or folklorized in mainstream discourse. Today, we recognize that these ways of speaking need to be rethought, with a view to respect, accuracy, and reconciliation. <\/p>\n\n

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Why do we avoid saying \u201csit in Indian style\u201d today?<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

The first problem is the word \u201cIndian\u201d itself. It is a colonial term, based on a historical error (no, Christopher Columbus was not in India), and has long been used to refer to all indigenous peoples in Canada as if they were a single homogeneous group. However, there is a great diversity of indigenous nations, languages, cultures, and traditions. Talking about \u201cIndians\u201d erases this richness. In fact, we explain in more detail why we no longer use the term \u201cIndian\u201d<\/a> and which terms<\/a> to use instead in other articles<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n

Secondly, the expression \u201csitting Indian style\u201d reduces these cultures to a stereotypical image frozen in time, and sometimes even mocked or trivialized in discourse. Even if it is not said with malice, it contributes to perpetuating stereotypes, which is exactly what we are trying to deconstruct today in a process of reconciliation. <\/p>\n\n

Because when we talk about \u201cIndians\u201d in the collective imagination, let’s be honest, the same images often come to mind: a feather headdress, a circle around a fire, a peace pipe, a mysterious shaman… These representations, largely derived from Western films, comic books, or Halloween costumes, portray Indigenous peoples as characters from a distant past, frozen in a romanticized or caricatured image. However, Indigenous peoples are not a \u201cconcept\u201d; they are vibrant, modern, diverse communities with very real, contemporary realities. <\/p>\n\n

Saying \u201csit like an Indian\u201d therefore risks reinforcing this reductive view, which lumps all indigenous nations together into a single stereotype frozen in time. We forget that each nation has its own traditions, languages, and ways of life. <\/p>\n\n

It is also an expression that can rekindle discomfort among some Indigenous people, particularly because it evokes a past of assimilation, mockery, or cultural erasure. At a time when we want to build respectful and equitable relationships with Indigenous communities, changing a simple expression is a small gesture, but it carries weight. <\/p>\n\n

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How to transform this expression<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

Good news! There are plenty of clear and respectful ways to talk about this position without resorting to stereotypes. Here are a few suggestions, depending on the context: <\/p>\n\n