Redskin

"Redskin" is a controversial term for Native Americans and one of the color metaphors for race used in North America throughout history. It is often considered a pejorative. With it's companion term "pale face", it has been taken by some as a sort of racial term of affection, the proponents of which would claim that the term could be used freely in many contexts and settings without any negative connotations whatsoever. However, as with any discriminatory term, the perceived negativity will always be down-played by those whom the term doesn't put down or pidgen hole. One person's lighthearted 'term of affection' is another person's racial slur.

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There is a myth that the term originates from the fact that in the past there was a going rate for the scalps or hides of indigenous men, women, and children often referred to as "Redskins". The myth states that these "redskin" trophies could be sold to most frontier trading posts. However, as was pointed out by Geoffrey Nunberg on the June 14, 2005 episode of NPR's Fresh Air, the historical evidence provides little or no support for this theory. His commentary states, "as best I can tell there's no historical record that connects redskin to the bounties for scalps, and in fact nobody seems to have mentioned the connection until about a dozen years ago." (Source: Redskin Blues, Geoffrey Nunberg.)

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The name "Redskins" would later be be used for a NFL football team. The team was originally known as the Boston Braves, but changed to the Boston Redskins when they left Braves field for Fenway Park. The name "Redskins" was chosen to honor the team's coach, William "Lone Star" Weitz, whose mother was Sioux. In 1937 the team moved to Washington, D.C. and became the Washington Redskins. In the decades following the move to Washington, the team's owner George Preston Marshall was a controversial figure who refused to allow black players onto his team until 1962. (Source: Redskins Book, Washingtonpost.com.)

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In recent years the name has become controversial with some Native American groups and their supporters arguing that since they view the word "redskin" as an offensive slur that it is inappropriate for a NFL team to continue to use it, regardless of whether any offense is intended.

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According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), the term "redskin" had more to do with the perceived reddish skin color of Native Americans, as in the terms "red Indian" and "red man".

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Native Americans: Native Americans is a term which has several different common meanings and scope, according to regional use and context. See the below articles, which describe various indigenous peoples in the following contexts:...

Color metaphors for race: In some societies, color metaphors for race, often originating from differences in human skin color, are used in racial classifications....

North America: North America is a continent in the northern hemisphere, bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the south by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by the North Pacific Ocean. It covers an area of 9,355,000 square miles (24,230,000 square kilometers). In 2...

Redskin related Images and Photos (experimental)

Redskin Italian Movie Poster 1929