The term “Aboriginal” stems from the Latin words ab and origine, meaning “from the beginning”, and is a commonly used word, including in museum databases. “Aboriginal” describes the original inhabitants of a place and is primarily used to refer to Indigenous peoples in Australia and Canada (see also “Indigenous”). However, in Canada, there has been a recent preference for the use of Indigenous. The term does not adequately describe the complexity and diversity of Indigenous peoples. Many Indigenous peoples in both countries do not like to be referred to as “Aboriginal”, preferring to emphasize other markers of their identity such as language, land and clan relationships. In Canada the term came into general use in the 1980s, when a legal and overarching term was sought to collectively describe the existing—but controversial—categories “Indian,” “Inuit” and “Métis” (see also “Indian” and “Eskimo”).