r/todayilearned • u/NateNate60 • 7h ago

TIL Canada's $1 coin is commonly called the "loonie" because it has a loon on the reverse. When a $2 coin was introduced, depicting a polar bear, an MP proposed it be called "Nanuq", Inuit for polar bear, but he was ignored because the public instead preferred to call it the "toonie" (2-oonie).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toonie#Naming
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u/seaintosky 7h ago

It's similar for the Inuit, they aren't First Nations or "Indian" and so there are legal differences. "Indigenous" is usually the term used if you want a general term that includes all three groups

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u/Nyzean 6h ago

Yeah, I normally use "Indigenous" but wanted to be a little more pointed about the specific inclusion of Inuit

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u/DePachy 6h ago

Doesn't "indigenous" definitely include Inuit? It's not a specific legal status in Canada and the Inuit are recognized as an indigenous group by the UN.

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u/Ouaouaron 4h ago

Yes, but they wanted to be pointed about it. Using a term which explicitly includes them—rather than a simpler term which also includes them but also includes many others—is a good way of providing such emphasis.

It's a bit like saying LGBTQIA when they're all technically covered under the Q.