Origin of word "redskin"

[Jonathan Lighter]

Decades ago I photocopied an article on this very question and even read it.  Now I can't remember a thing about it, but, like so much else, the damn thing's got to be around here somewhere!  Stay tuned.

JL

Wilson Gray <wilson.gray at RCN.COM> wrote:
---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
Sender: American Dialect Society
Poster: Wilson Gray
Subject: Re: Origin of word "redskin"
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On May 26, 2005, at 7:33 AM, Sam Clements wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender: American Dialect Society
> Poster: Sam Clements
> Subject: Origin of word "redskin"
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
> --------
>
> Sorry if someone already posted this.
>
> While driving to work Wednesday morning, I caught the NPR segment with
> =
> Frank Deford talking about sports teams names and American Indians.
>
> The thing that Deford said which set off my BS detector was that the =
> origin of the word "redskin" was NOT in relation to the color of the =
> Native American's skin, but rather the scalp that he sometimes took
> from =
> a victim, (with blood dripping?).=20

FWIW, I once read somewhere or other that scalp-taking was inspired by
the European custom of paying/trading for pelts. I've never heard of
Indians taking the scalps of other Indians. This means nothing, of
course.

Further FWIW: the only pronunciation of "Indian" that I've ever heard
in BE is [InIy at n].

-Wilson Gray

>
> I hope my link to the interview will work =
> http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=3D4665930
>
> The OED cites it from 1699, but it isn't clear in that cite to me.
> And =
> the next cite there is from 1823, so leaves a big gap.
>
> Anyone done work on this one?
>
> Sam Clements
>


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