Redskin (slang)

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For other uses, see Redskin (disambiguation).

"Redskin" is a racist epithet for Native Americans and one of the color metaphors for race used in North America and Europe since European colonization of America.

The term was used throughout the English-speaking world (and in equivalent transliterations in Europe) throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries as a common term of reference for indigenous Americans. The term is usually considered a pejorative. As with any term perceived to be discriminatory, different individuals may hold differing opinions of the term's appropriateness.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), the term "redskin" came from the reddish skin color of some Native Americans, as in the terms red Indian and red man, and the OED cites instances of its usage in English dating back to the 17th century (and cites a use of red in reference to skin color from 1587). Other origins suggested for this term include the use of natural red paints by Native peoples and the bloody skins of Native people bought and sold by bounty and scalp hunters.

The name Redskins would later 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," according to sports lore, was chosen to "honor" the team's coach, William "Lone Star" Dietz, whose mother was allegedly "Sioux". Indian Country Today debunked this myth as pure fabrication with no basis in fact at all. Dietz was entirely of European ancestry. In 1937 the team moved to Washington, D.C. and became the Washington Redskins, joining Capital Hill as the second football team of Washington, D.C..

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.

In 1997 Jill Cadreau, a Milford High School student, became a young activist for Native American rights when she demanded the word "Redskins" stop being used as the name for the school's mascot and sports teams. Jill and much of the American Indian community thought the word carried a negative connotation and attempted to justify racism that still existed in the school. After long meetings with the Milford School Board and much support from the local American Indian community, the Los Angeles Board of Education ruled in favor of a Native American victory with a 6-0 vote in 1997. Jill was a leader for the campaign that forced her high school to eliminate all references to American Indians in the names and images of school mascots.

Another non-NFL controversy over the term "redskin" took place at James S. Rickards High School in 2000, when the mascot had to be changed from Rickards Redskins to Rickards Raiders due to perceived racial implications of the word.

In 2001, under threats from the Native American Bar Association, Consolidated School District 158 in Huntley, Illinois had to ban use of the Redskin slogan from its high school, changing to the Huntley Red Raiders.