Beyond 'indigenous': 4 ways to model culturally attuned speech

Let’s explore better, more nuanced ways to describe communities that live outside what we call the 'norm.'

We’re all (hopefully) aware of how to teach courteous terms and people-first language.

Beyond that, how do we nurture global thinkers—children who are curious, respectful, and kind toward those living in other cultures? People they will probably never meet?

A powerful way is how we describe others. When kids hear us use correct references to people in unique communities, language becomes a bridge from ‘that’s weird’ to ‘that’s interesting.’

Here are 4 ways to be accurate and respectful in describing unique communities.

1. Invite curiosity, not comparison.

It’s so easy to lapse into comparative language. An undeveloped country . . . a third world country . . .   uncivilized . . . primitive . . . poor . . .  they’re all comparisons to countries that are ‘developed, First World, civilized, advanced, and wealthy.’   A country doesn’t have to follow western models of development to have rich, complex cultures, governance systems, and traditions.

Even the questions we ask while teaching can force comparisons. E.g., “How is their government different from ours?” seems like an ordinary question, but right away it’s creating a dividing

thought. Try building a bridge instead, like asking, “What might be the advantages of elders or councils? The disadvantages?”

2. Shift the tone from judgement to enjoyment.

   Invite reflection. Celebrate difference.

   Here are some prompts:

   How do they take care of each other?

  What would it be like to live that way? What skills would you need?

     What stories do you think they tell in their community?

   What might they know that we don’t?

How does their way of life help them solve problems?

3. Swap labels for kind words. To speak kindly, it sometimes requires using more words than a mere label, but that's okay.

Instead of saying . . .

"Primitive"

"Uncivilized"

"Behind"

"Poor"

"Undeveloped" or "third world"

"Illiterate"

"Minority"

"A native" ... "native dress"

Try saying . . .

"Ancestral" or "low-tech"

"Traditional" or "living close to nature"

"Unique lifeways" or "different traditions"

"Resource-limited" or "economically underserved"

"Developing"

"Preliterate" or "Still developing reading skills" or "non-written learning"

Use specific names for groups, e.g., "Black" or "Latinx" or "Roma" instead of lumping groups together. Use the name the group uses for itself whenever possible. Use their own terminology.

"A national" (a person) or "traditional" as in dress

4. Describe, don't appraise.

   Try describing the social structure, lifestyle, or values of the group. Describe their practices directly, e.g., “They live in extended family groups and rely on seasonal migration for food.” Here are some descriptors:
   

   • Non-industrialized or non-urbanized: Focuses on economic and infrastructural context without judgment.

   • Traditional or ancestral ways of life: Honors continuity with cultural heritage.

   • Subsistence-based or agrarian: Describes how the community sustains itself.

   • Pastoral, hunter, gatherer, farming family: These terms describe forms of sustenance.

   • Autonomous or self-governing: Highlights sovereignty and independence.

   • Living close to nature: Homes built with natural materials in forests, deserts, or mountains.

   • Nomadic: Families who move with the seasons or availability of resources.

   • Low-tech society or non-industrial society: Neutral descriptors for technology's influence. 

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🎎The next time you read about another culture, ask your child to describe it using concise descriptors about the culture's lifestyle or values.