"Squaw"

[Scot LaFaive]

Does anyone know when and why "squaw" became a derogatory term for a Native American female? According to the OED, the word comes in various forms from some Algonquin languages, but there is no sense or explanation for its derogatory meaning.
 
Scot
_________________________________________________________________
Check the weather nationwide with MSN Search: Try it now!
http://search.msn.com/results.aspx?q=weather&FORM=WLMTAG
------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org