Native Group Wants ‘Racist’ Water Ad Pulled

A Toronto-based bottled water company has come under fire for a TV commercial that has representatives of the Algonquin Nation demanding a retraction of the ad.
Native Group Wants ‘Racist’ Water Ad Pulled
A screenshot of Eska's television spot shows the 'Eskan Warriors.'
7/6/2011
Updated:
10/1/2015

<a><img src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/09/still_eska_water556.jpg" alt="A screenshot of Eska's television spot shows the 'Eskan Warriors.'" title="A screenshot of Eska's television spot shows the 'Eskan Warriors.'" width="320" class="size-medium wp-image-1801255"/></a>
A screenshot of Eska's television spot shows the 'Eskan Warriors.'
A Toronto-based bottled water company has come under fire for a TV commercial that has representatives of the Algonquin Nation demanding a retraction of the ad, which they say feeds “old prejudices” about aboriginal people.

The ad, by Eaux Vives Canada Inc. for its Eska brand of bottled water, shows three men dressed as aboriginal warriors, so-called “Eskan Warriors,” who have been charged with “protecting the purity of Eska water for 8,000 years.” The legend is made up for the purpose of the ad.

In the 30-second spot, which can be viewed on YouTube, actors of dubious aboriginal background fire an arrow toward a Caucasian man about to mix orange juice with Eska, the message being that the juice would tarnish the purity of the water.

The Algonquin Anishinabeg Nation Tribal Council, representing the Algonquin Nation in Quebec, says the ad is offensive to them.

“This is a racist and degrading caricature of indigenous peoples, especially for the Algonquin people whose traditional territory includes the Saint-Mathieu-Lac Berry esker,” says Vice Grand Chief Marlene Jerome, referring to the glacially formed aquifer from which Eaux Vives gets its water.

“Natives are presented in the advertisement as primitive beings and ridiculous, again carrying old prejudices.”

What’s even more frustrating, adds Jerome, is that in the Algonquin culture, women are considered the protectors of water—a fact that “should have been known” by the company, which operates deep in Algonquin territory.

“It is obvious that this company and the advertising firm hired did not check the contents of their ad with Aboriginal groups and we demand the immediate retraction of these degrading messages,” she says.

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“Eskan Warriors” ad with comments by a citizen journalist

Eaux Vives spokesman Gilles Corriveau says the company’s market research prior to running the ad, which was done on a wide cross-section of the population, “did not make us suspect the nature of the reaction we received.”

He says they have had many positive comments on the ad, but they are taking the matter of the complaints seriously.

“It was definitely not our intention to misrepresent any particular group of people,” Corriveau says, adding that the depiction was a generic one of native people and not meant to represent any specific group.

Jerome also alleges that Eaux Vives has exploited the water source since 2001 without ever negotiating with the Algonquin regarding financial compensation.

“We receive no compensation for the exploitation of our water for commercial purposes, and today the company uses an image of indigenous people taken from a comic strip to promote it. As the saying goes, it’s the straw that broke the camel’s back.”

But Corriveau says Eaux Vives is using the resource in accordance with Quebec law. “It has paid the necessary permits and has followed all regulations according to the laws.”

He says it is too early to say whether the ad will be pulled, but the company is planning to meet with those who are taking issue with the ad on July 18 in an effort to find a solution to the concerns raised.

Meanwhile, in the comments section on YouTube, an ongoing discussion explores whether the ad is offensive or simply uses humour to drive home the point about the purity of the water.

“Most ads stereotype different cultures, skin colour, men, women, children young and old, or groups,” writes Ardrich. “The ridiculous thing is to feel offended by any ad by acting as if particularly targeted. If you don’t like the ad, don’t watch it, and don’t attract attention to it. You’ll simply get more people curious to see it.”

AshleynRonan replies, “As an aboriginal person I think this ad is offensive, disgusting, inappropriate, misleading etc. It perpetuates negative stereotypes in mainstream media. This is a major setback for our people.”

The Algonquin Tribal Council wants consumers to boycott Eska until the ad is taken off the air.