DCHP-1 Online

Kabloona [< Esk. kablunā(k), pl. kablunet person with big eyebrows] Arctic

• n. a European; white man.

  See also: Kadloona  

  • The term occurs in a host of spellings (Kablunak, Kablunat, Kablunan, Kablunait, and, older, Cabluna(k), etc.) resulting from the English-speaking writers' transcriptions of various regional and grammatical variants; plural forms vary, the word being uninflected usually, but sometimes taking English -s, and, less often, Latin -ae.

  • 1774  Formerly, they were bold and impudent, and looked upon the Europeans as upon dogs, giving them the appellation, Kablunets, that is, Barbarians, but called themselves Innuit, which signifies men.
  • 1823  Yet he attended very sedulously to the proceedings of the Cablunae.
  • 1865  We now know that he remained through the next winter with the Esquimaux, and then started for the land of the Kablunas.
  • 1922  For hours at a time they watched the crew build the kablunak's big igloo.
  • 1962  In the past, except for the few Eskimos who worked for Kabloona agencies, there was no situation requiring the rigid scheduling of activities. . . .
  • 1966  Chances are Eskimo mothers have never heard of baby-sitters. If they have, they've probably rejected the idea as another crazy practice of the kabluna.