Respectful Terminology Project

Respectful Terminologies
The Provincial Archives of Saskatchewan (PAS) is applying the following approaches to incorporate respectful terminology into our vocabularies and descriptions.

Identification: 
Records and their record descriptions held at the PAS contain language and imagery that are illustrative of their time. As such, records within the Permanent Collection may reflect instances of racism, sexism, ableism or other forms of discrimination, known today to be harmful. 

Archivists at PAS work to identify and amend outdated, offensive and hateful language found in our descriptive catalogue, including but not restricted to Indigenous themes. 

The original language of the records’ descriptions are maintained in a separate field, as a reflection of the era in which they were created, providing historical context about the world we live in. Although this may be upsetting, maintaining the integrity of these descriptions allows researchers to critically review and assess catalogue entries.

Feedback on work to date:  
PAS has engaged with an Indigenous consultant to advise on our work to date, project plans, and communication plans for moving forward.  

Working with Indigenous-led organizations:
The National Indigenous Knowledge and Language Alliance (NIKLA) is an Indigenous-led organization leading a respectful terminology project to build “an open and online platform that will enable a dynamic, multilingual set of terminologies applied to Indigenous Peoples, places, heritage, tradition, knowledge and cultures.” NIKLA is committed to “amplify the voices of Indigenous Peoples (First Nations, Métis, and Inuit.)” To show our support, the Provincial Archives of Saskatchewan has become an institutional member of NIKLA; has joined NIKLA’s Language and Instruction Community; and is collaborating on their Respectful Terminology Project.

Commitment to ongoing dialogue with Indigenous Peoples: 
We welcome feedback related to descriptions of Indigenous communities and individuals. You can reach out through our online Archival Description Enhancement form and email Reference and Outreach Services.