Inuvik (Mar 05/04) - In a letter to town council Gwich'in resident Norm Snowshoe says it's time to change the name of Loucheux Rd. to something else.

"It's an outdated term that refers to Gwich'in people in the territory," he said. "It's a French word that describes the way we look rather than who we are."

In fact, Snowshoe is quite diplomatic in his assessment of a somewhat derogatory word that French voyageurs in the early 1800s used to describe Eastern Kutchin peoples -- now known as the Gwich'in.

Gwich'in refers to the region from where he and his people come, said Snowshoe.

But as many European terms for indigenous peoples passed into the English lexicon and became commonly used, so too did "Loucheux."

"The name Loucheux, 'squint-eyed' or 'slant-eyed,' came from the early French-Canadian voyageurs, and strictly applies to the eastern tribes, those living on the Peel and Porcupine rivers, some of whom frequented the lower Mackenzie (river)," wrote anthropologist Diamond Jenness in his 1932 work The Indians of Canada.

"There's still people who think it's a Gwich'in word," said town council's Gwich'in representative Tommy Wright. "This issue has been brought up before and we're looking into alternative (names)."

Mayor Peter Clarkson says it's time for the town to bring itself up to date, and changing the name of the street is a way to acknowledge that what was accepted in the 1960s or 1970s (when he estimates Loucheux Rd. was named) is not today.

As for potential new names, Clarkson says council will take direction from the Nihtat Gwich'in Council.

As for Snowshoe, the man who most recently brought the issue to council, he just wants the name changed.

"The word Loucheux refers to us as a people, so it should be up to us to come up with another name," he said.

"Whether that will be Gwich'in Rd., I don't know."