Editor:

   I hope that the school board and the community has as much sense as the young woman featured on television, who commented that she did not think Redskins was a good choice for her school’s team name. Then comes along an older man from years past, who thinks it’s a good idea because of his memories of youth and also commented he saw nothing wrong with the name – that it “honors” American Indians.

Well, this American Indian – Cherokee – disagrees totally as do most of the American Indians from every tribal nation in North America. 

When will people understand that the term redskin is a horrific reminder of a time, when there was a bounty placed on the skins of men, women and children who were this land’s true native people? They would skin the flesh from our ancestors’ bodies to be fashioned into pouches and reigns for their horses and sometimes they did much worse things that I won’t mention in your publication. How can anyone think this is honoring us?  If you decided to call your team the black skins  – do you think African-Americans would feel honored?  Maine’s largest newspaper, the Portland Press Herald, made a bold but good decision several years ago, when it decided that the word redskin –  and even the national team name would not be used in the publications. They also included the word squaw – which has been used as a derogatory, insulting word to American Indian women – by the Europeans and the state of Maine changed all public place names which once carried this word. The word itself in the native tongue is not a derogatory word, but in the manner in which whites used it, it was most certain derogatory. It was said to dishonor a native woman and to mark her as a woman of ill-repute - easy, a whore. Can this word be used in your publication?

 So, with the largest newspaper taking such a good step in the right direction, the school is actually considering renaming your sports team Redskins? This is a return back to the days of out and out racism with no consideration for American Indians, in this state or elsewhere.

 I hope the school board and the citizens of Scarborough are above going back in time and will not support this change.  If you are a human being, with feelings, I challenge you to listen to this ballad by the Rev. Goat Carson, which tells the truth about the meaning of the word redskin.  If you can listen through to the end, without crying or caring, that tells a lot about the type of human being you really are. mytwobeadsworth.com/Redskins.html.