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Entries in culture (3)

Sunday
May222011

Eskimo v. Inuit v. Yupik

A double image. Do you see the Indian face looking left, or the Eskimo looking away to the right? Eskimo is the collective term for several cultural groups indigenous to the Arctic coastal regions of Siberia, Alaska, Canada, and Greenland. Some claim that the word Eskimo is pejoritive, based on a disputed etymology. There are two primary groups of Eskimos: the Inuit of northern Alaska, Canada, and Greenland, and the culturally and ethnically distinct Yupik of western and southern Alaska and northeastern Siberia.

Monday
Dec062010

axe v. hatchet v. tomahawk

An axe is an implement used to fell trees or chop wood, and also as a weapon. It consists of a metal head with one or two blades affixed to a handle.

An axe.

A hatchet is a short-handled axe held in one hand, sometimes with a hammer head opposite the blade.

A hatchet.

A tomahawk is a traditional native North American hatchet. While axes and hatchets often have slightly curved handles, tomahawk handles are usually straight. Pipe tomahawks, with a pipe bowl opposite the blade, and a hollow shaft, were presented to natives by Europeans as diplomatic gifts, and were used in American Indian rituals.

A 19th century pipe tomahawk.

Tuesday
Nov092010

Latino v. Hispanic

Latino refers to the people and culture of Latin America—the countries of the Americas south of the United States, especially those where Romance languages (e.g., Spanish, Portuguese, and French, all of which are derived from Latin) are spoken.

Hispanic means ‘of or relating to Spain or Spanish-speaking countries’.

People from Spain are Hispanic, but not Latino. People from Brazil, where Portuguese is the official language, are Latino, but not Hispanic. People from Mexico are both Latino and Hispanic.

Answers.com on Latino v. Hispanic (see usage note)