OPINION:
To add to the recent discussion regarding the Washington Redskins name, it is important to note the origins of the moniker. After all, American Indians are not red.
Among the several theories suggested by historians, the most plausible explanation concerns the Beothuk peoples of Newfoundland. They used red ocher, an earth pigment containing iron oxide, to cover their bodies as protection against mosquitoes and to decorate their canoes and weapons.
They were contacted as early as 1497 by explorer John Cabot, and called Red Indians. In Europe this name then became commonly used for all American Indians and eventually “Red Indians” became “Redskins.” By the 19th century the name had also become commonly used in North America, with some American Indians using it to refer to themselves.
The last known Beothuk died in the 1820s; perhaps it is time to bury the name as well.
E. FULLER TORREY
Bethesda
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