Re: Redskin
Posted by R. Berg on April 02, 2002 In Reply to: Re: Redskin posted by Jen
on April 01, 2002
: I think it is the political correct answer, did you notice "genocidal
practice". If you look up scalping, you will see several sites trying
to make the argument it was Europe that originated the practice
and the tribes just innocently got caught up into the action. Here
is a good site that dispels that, http://thecowshed.tripod.com/native/cutting.htm
"Finally, the words that are used to describe "scalp" and "scalping"
had no set vocabulary and no universal translation in European languages,
but Indians of different backgrounds and languages had nouns and
verbs to refer to the specific use of the terminology."
: I can't help but think red=blood and because it is a negative
English word for American Indians, I think it might have something
to do with Indians taking scalps, because it would be a bloody mess,
leaving them with redskinds.
But did you come to this forum to get information about the origin
of "redskin" or to promote a hypothesis about it? The reference
books that the regulars here rely on say the word came from a supposed
reddish hue to Indians' skin. They say nothing about blood or scalping.
The origin of a word isn't established just by finding that one
or another idea is intuitively appealing. You need historical support,
too; and we presume that the compilers of the reference books have
researched the phrases they explain. As an example, look at "the
Whole nine yards" as tossed around in the archives on this site.
Many people have "decided" what the "true" origin of that phrase
is--but they have proposed DIFFERENT origins.
- Re: Redskin ESC 04/02/02
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