Read the wiki article I linked to above.
For some reason, Inuit in Canada and Inuit outside of Canada have very different views concerning the word “Eskimo”. I don’t know the history of how this has occurred. Perhaps wiki is wrong. But I think, given that information, it is wrong to dismiss out of hand that all Inuit consider the term unacceptable.
The preferred term here in Alaska is “Alaska Native” or just “Native”. Within that general grouping fall the various tribes, such as Yu’pik, Inupiaq, Athapaskan, Tlingit, Aleut, Dena’ina, Tsimshian, Haida, etc. The word “Eskimo” or “Indian” is sometimes tacked on the end, such as “He’s a Yup’ik eskimo.”
Eskimo…Gypsy…spic…white trash…whatever. As long as I can safely call 50% of them “bitch,” I’m all good.
Especially Eskimo gringos.
I agree. You’ll notice in my first post I stated this was the case in Canada, my cite is from a Canadian government site, and I’m in Canada.
I’m offended. You mean lo faan.
It’s not exactly the same, seeing as we have a CFL team called the Edmonton Eskimos.
Maybe a better analogy would be “redskin.” You might not blink at people who support the sports franchise, but say something like “Oh yeah, Susie’s new boyfriend is a redskin” and you’ll produce the same effect as calling someone an “eskimo” here.
“Quinn the Alaska Native” just doesn’t sound quite right.
I prefer gwailo, ya tinkar.
Sgt. Troy Barlow: Conrad, you’ve washed your hands like ten times.
Conrad Vig: Lord knows what kind of vermin live in the butt of a Dune Coon.
Chief Elgin: Why do you let this cracker hang around with you, man?
Sgt. Troy Barlow: He’s all right, man. He’s from a group home in Dallas. He’s got no high school.
Conrad Vig: Don’t tell people that.
Chief Elgin: I don’t care if he’s from Johannesburg. I don’t want to hear Dune Coon or Sand Nigger from him or anybody else.
Conrad Vig: Captain uses those terms.
Sgt. Troy Barlow: That’s not the point, Conrad. The point is that Towel Head and Camel Jockey are perfectly good substitutes.
Chief Elgin: Exactly!
Stranger
My previous inquiry on this topic.
Now I’m wondering if this was supposed to be the point of the “We are not Eskimos!” bit from the Mister Neutron episode of Monty Python. I’d always just assumed the joke was that Graham Chapman and the rest were not, in fact, Eskimos, and Michael Palin’s Italian restauranteur character just thought they were because they were dressed in mukluks and ordered fish. But just possibly the Inuit/Eskimo debate had been picked up by the international news at that time, and the joke was just extremely topical.
Speaking of Monty Python, one thing seems clear: The Canadian Inuit desperately need to be confused. I propose that the best way to do this is to start using the term “Inuit” in a derogative manner. That’ll fox 'em. Soon everyone’ll be all like, “Man! Don’t be so Inuit about stuff!” and “Sorry, was I being excessively Inuit there?”
Then someone could start a baseless rumor that the term “Inuit” actually derives from “In-you-it,” a slanderous reference to Canadian tribes’ predilection for forcibly sodomizing each other with random objects out on the tundra.
Those Danish, aren’t they crazy?
I think the term you’re looking for is “Deutsche”. 
What about Athabaskan pussy? Can frat boys still call it “Eskimo Pie”?
“Yo, dude. . . you with the frozen 'stache. . .” (I’m playing it safe for the time being)
Dingdingding! We have a winnah!
It gets even more complicated, though. See how far you get calling a member of one of the southern Alaskan tribes an Eskimo. What you’ll probably get (if they’re polite) is a gentle correction on their accurate tribal designation (Tlingit, Haida, whatever happens to be appropriate) or a request to use the phrase “native” or “Alaska Native” instead. What you’ll get if they’re not polite is harsh words and/or an exasperated eyeroll.
In my experience, it’s not offensive to call an Alaskan Native (as opposed to Canadian indigenous peoples or folks from Greenland, say) an Eskimo so much as it’s irritating, because then you have to correct whoever-it-is and probably offer an explanation to the really confused look they inevitably give you. “Eskimo” is an inaccurate term to refer to a southern Alaskan native by (they’re more closely related to the Puget Sound area Native Americans than the Eskimo-grouping tribes, really), but not an offensive one.
Think of it like this - “Eskimo” is a general term which is used to refer to any member of any tribe of the indigenous peoples found north of about the US/Canadian border. “Inuit” is the name of a specific tribe of such persons. Most native Alaskans I know do not get upset at being referred to by the generic name. They assume anyone who calls them an eskimo is a tourist, and will generally sigh a little inside at having to explain for the billionth time that they’re not an eskimo and telling the questioner that “Alaska Native” is the preferred term. However, some people will get offended if you call them an Inuit. Eskimo is at least a generic term - Inuit is not a generic term. The assumption if someone calls them an Inuit is that that person is aware of the different tribal designations, but can’t be assed to find out which one you belong to (or is trying to be deliberately offensive).
Using “eskimo” marks you as an out-of-towner, Inuit makes you a jerk. Now, most folks will generally just ask you to use native or Alaska native - it’s not that big a deal, to be truthful. Unless you’re one of those people who I’ll illustrate in the following fictional dramatized conversation:
Tourist 1: “Oooo! Are you an eskimo?”
Alaska resident: "Nope, I’m a Haida but generally people use “native”
Tourist 2: Don’t you know that eskimo is an insult?!? Use Inuit!
AR: No, actually we prefer native or Haida if you wanna be totally accurate
T2: Inuit is the right term! I read it on the interwebs (or in a guidebook)! Aren’t you offended T1 called you an eskimo?!? Why aren’t you offended?!?*
It’s a weird thing, but it’s people from the Lower 48 who seem to give a rat’s ass about it. I’ve never actually met an Alaska Native who gave two shits about being called an eskimo. I know a couple who get steamed about “Inuit” though.
*I’ve actually had conversations similar to this one, only instead of “Haida” I said “German and Irish”. The rest of the conversation was the same. The fact that I was of Caucasian descent didn’t seem to affect T2’s recreational outrage on my behalf. It was fairly surreal. It’s not as if I look native - I’m ghost-white and redheaded with blue eyes. The summer I turned 16, I worked in a hardware store and had this conversation every time the tour ships came in. I was working with my best friend, who was native (but not physically noticeably so) who thought the whole damn thing was absolutely hilarious because the crazies would inevitably pick me as their unwitting pawn in the “eskimo/inuit” debate, rather than her.
People call the Haida Eskimo in Alaska (even if it’s non-specific)? If you called a Mohawk an Eskimo or even Inuit here, people would look at you like you’re nuts.
Athabaskans aren’t any sort of Eskimo or Inuit. They’re indians.
Yeah, all I can say is that I grew up in Fairbanks Alaska, and every Eskimo I ever met there had no problem calling themselves an Eskimo, or being called an Eskimo, although most were Yup’ik and would often use “Yup’ik eskimo”. Although as Chefguy says, usually people would say “Native”, or “Alaska Native”, and this would cover Eskimos, Aleuts, Indians, and so forth.
Another thing, Eskimos don’t have “tribes”.
Oh, and while we’re at it:
Well, I said they were frat boys. I didn’t say they were smart frat boys.
No, only the tourists would do that. Thing is, most tourists on cruise ships are going to see damn few Eskimos, since they’re in Southeast, and Eskimos live waaaaaaaaaaaaay over on the other side of Alaska. You might as well expect Mexicans. Which is, there surely are plenty of Mexicans working in Sitka, but they aren’t from Sitka, so it’s incorrect to say that Eskimos and Mexicans don’t live in Sitka.
I’m sure there are white Alaskans who are shaky on the difference between Eskimos and Indians, but they’d use the term “Native”. Of course, to my ears growing up in Alaska “Native” has a slightly pejoritive tinge to it…because I’ve heard “Native” used with a particular tone so often.