New Zealand's high commissioner in Ottawa is disappointed her fellow Kiwis are angry at a Canadian Inuk woman who raised concerns about the brand name of a marshmallow candy popular in the southern island nation.
Kate Lackey notes that people in New Zealand are as loyal to the colourful "Eskimos" treats as Canadians are to Tim Hortons coffee. But rude radio comments and online calls for the 21-year-old tourist to head back to Canada are not acceptable, she said Thursday.
"I would hope New Zealanders would be a bit more courteous and understanding," Lackey said.
"I'll probably get into trouble in New Zealand for saying such a thing, but often there's a sort of 'rednecky' element ... The people who get on talk-back (radio) and stuff haven't had time to think through a bit more deeply how the other person might feel."
Canadian Seeka Veevee Parsons made headlines across New Zealand this week after complaining to a TV crew about the candies, which are shaped like a person bundled up in a furry parka and are sold in a bag bearing the picture of a smiling Inuk in front of an igloo.
Born in Iqaluit, Nunavut, and raised in Glovertown, N.L., Veevee Parsons said the word "Eskimo" was originally an insult meaning ``eater of raw flesh." As a child, she was teased and called a ``dirty Eskimo girl."
"I think the term 'Eskimo' can almost be related to the term 'savage' or 'Indian' or maybe even the 'n-word' for African-American people," she said in an interview earlier this week.
The word was replaced in Canada with "Inuk" and "Inuit" in the 1970s, although it is still common in Alaska. And it's still part of the name used by the Edmonton team in the Canadian Football League.
The "Eskimos" debate has led to phone calls and emails flooding New Zealand radio and television shows and has become a prime topic for bloggers. Most are overwhelmingly in support of keeping the name. Some have called Veevee Parsons a "busybody" and a ``b*tch." Many want her to go home.
"Will the Inuit stop clubbing fur seals to death? We don't come to your country and tell you how to live," one man wrote on the 3News television website.
The Cadbury Pascall company has defended its product and refuses to change it.
Lackey said that's a business decision she won't interfere with.
"That sounds a wee bit hard-hearted, but, as I say, this particular candy has been around for so long. I think New Zealanders would have had absolutely no idea that it might cause offence to another people."
She said she has the highest admiration for the Inuit and has travelled across Canada's North.
Veevee Parsons has spent the last two months trekking around New Zealand and planned to leave in a few weeks to tour Australia. She is scheduled to fly home in June.
Before her return, she wants to mail packages of Eskimos candies to Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Nunavut Premier Eva Aariak to bring their attention to the confections.
"I just hope Seeka enjoys her stay in New Zealand and that she doesn't feel that the bulk of New Zealand people would be other than hospitable to a young Canadian on our shores," said Lackey.
She said she doesn't think the candy controversy would ever cause a political rift between the two nations.
"You could hardly have two countries closer together in attitudes and values than Canada and New Zealand," said Lackey.
"I often say that for New Zealanders, Canada seems like the least foreign country in the world. People arrive here and, after about 10 minutes, they feel at home."
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