What's in a Name?

By Alan Burkhart

According to an article by Jim Kouri, a half-dozen Indians have filed a petition with the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to force the NFL's Washington Redskins to change their name. Some may feel that this is another example of political correctness run amok. Still others may feel it's completely justified. The American Indians who have filed the petition evidently feel they are being disparaged.

A petition was originally filed in 1992 and the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ruled in favor of the Indians. The decision was overturned on appeal and the Redskins kept their name. In this latest effort, Suzan Shown Harjo, lead petitioner in the original case and president of The Morning Star Institute, claims that she and her fellow petitioners seek to "…protect Native peoples from slurs and vulgarities." There are several points to address before one can form an educated opinion in this matter, the most relevant being the question of whether "redskin" is actually a derogatory term.

Let's review some history…

According to a paper by Ives Goddard (senior linguist in the Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution), the term "redskin" was first coined by American Indian tribes and was not a derogatory term. It was instead used simply to distinguish between American Indians ("red skinned men") and European settlers ("white skinned men"). This is little different than the non-pejorative use of "black" or "white" we see in modern times to differentiate between Negroes and Caucasians. Goddard concludes that white settlers began using the term after hearing it used by local tribes.

So, how is it that modern-day American Indians find it offensive?

I'd opine that as time went by and wars broke out between settlers and Indian tribes, the term "redskin" was used in anger by settlers. I don't doubt that "whiteskin" or "paleface" was also used in a similar manner by Indians. The words retained their original meanings but were being used in a different context. But, how much importance should we assign to context in matters such as this?

If a member of the KKK says, "I hate black people," does that automatically make "black people" a derogatory term? No, it doesn't. It just means that the guy wearing the white sheet and the over-sized dunce cap is a complete idiot.

It's also worth noting how the Washington Redskins came by their name. In the mid-1930's George Preston Marshall owned the now-defunct NFL Boston Braves. He renamed the team "Redskins" in 1936 and moved them to Washington in 1937. The name change was supposedly done in honor of "Lone Star" Dietz, who coached the Redskins in their early years. As it turns out, research by "American Indian Sports Team Mascots" has called into question whether or not William Henry "Lone Star" Dietz actually had even a single drop of Indian blood in his veins.

Does it really matter at this point if Dietz was a phony? It could, depending upon the context (there's that word again) in which the name was used. What did Marshall have in mind? Did he wish to portray his team as noble warriors? Or, as vicious savages? Did he know the truth of Dietz's ancestry? I doubt we'll ever know for sure. According to what I've read, Marshall was a racist, and refused to recruit any black players until the federal government threatened to revoke his lease at D. C. Stadium (since renamed to RFK Stadium).

At great risk to my career as a writer, I'll make a strictly hypothetical comparison here… What if the team's current owner, Daniel Snyder, renamed the Redskins "The Washington Niggers?" Or maybe the "Washington Wetbacks?" It'd almost be worth it just to see how badly the ACLU would come unglued, but no. These hideous words are truly derogatory and there is no context in which they could be used in a positive manner.

My point?

I doubt anyone (including Indians or the ACLU) would have a problem if Snyder renamed the 'Skins the "Washington Honkeys." In fact, the "Fighting Whites" were an intramural basketball team formed at the University of Northern Colorado in 2002. The team was formed as a sort of payback to all the teams across the country who use Indian names and symbols as mascots. The interesting part of this? White folks weren't at all offended, and when Rush Limbaugh pointed out the existence of the team to a national audience, calls for t-shirts and other merchandise began pouring in. There's now a Fighting Whites website where one can order the typical team-logo merchandise, and the proceeds go to the Fighting Whites Scholarship Fund. Nothing like good old American capitalism to cause people to show their true (ahem) colors, eh?

And let's face the fact that there is a certain amount of silliness inherent to the naming of any sports franchise. How many real Indians currently play for the Cleveland Indians? Has there been a real Dallas Cowboy since Walt Garrison retired? How many priests play for the San Diego Padres? Care to speculate upon how many members of the New Orleans Saints have been canonized?

But I digress. Should the Washington Redskins change their name to something less offensive? I doubt that George Marshall would have named his team after someone he didn't like. He wouldn't have named the team as such if he felt the name to be derogatory. Nope, he most likely felt that the name was in some way positive. Ditto the Kansas City Chiefs, the Atlanta Braves and the Cleveland Indians. The teams' names are in recognition of the bravery and honorable nature of the Indian warriors of old.

I guess some people are just more easily offended than others.
Hail to the Redskins.
Hail to the Chiefs.
And above all, go Cowboys!

Related Reading:

• Jim Kouri Article


• Ives Goddard Paper on the Origin of "Redskin"


• Use of words meaning 'redskin' and 'whiteskin' in the Meskwaki language


• Was "Lone Star" Dietz really an Indian?


• Fighting Whites Merchandise Website


• Archived Articles on the Original Fighting Whites (aka "Whities")


• Morning Star Institute


• Washington Redskins Website


• Wikipedia Article on George Preston Marshall