The name of an iconic Australian ice cream company is changing, saying it’s “committed to being a part of the solution on racial equality”.
Peters Ice Cream has said that it will change its name to Polar Pie from Eskimo Pie.
“Peters Ice Cream is committed to being a part of the solution on racial equality and we acknowledge that now is the time for change,” a spokesperson for Peters said in a statement.
“Eskimo Pie is a brand which has been within our portfolio for many decades and has a loyal consumer base who adore the product. We have chosen to rename the product ‘Polar Pie’ as this retains a strong association back to the original brand and product idea – a frozen treat you eat much like a pie – with your hands and hence the name Polar Pie!”
A frozen treat you eat like a pie! Eskimo Pies is the oldest ice cream in the company’s collection, according to the Peters website, and was brought by the Peters family to Australia in 1923.
“Introduced in Australia in 1923, it’s the oldest single ice cream in the Peters family still available today,” the company website reads. “Try one for yourself and see why Australians have enjoyed this ice cream for nearly 100 years!”
Lawrence Kaplan from the University of Alaska’s Alaska Native Language Centre wrote the term “Eskimo” is receding from common use, and was a “colonial” term.
“Although the name ‘Eskimo’ was commonly used in Alaska to refer to Inuit and Yupik people of the world, this usage is now considered unacceptable by many or even most Alaska Natives, largely since it is a colonial name imposed by non-Indigenous people,” Mr Kaplan said.
“Alaska Natives increasingly prefer to be known by the names they use in their own languages, such as Inupiaq or Yupik. ‘Inuit’ is now the current term in Alaska and across the Arctic, and ‘Eskimo’ is fading from use.”
‘Inuit’ in Alaska and around the Arctic is now the current term, and ‘Eskimo’ is disappearing from usage.’