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June 26, 2014

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My ex-husband and his roommate called me "Big Red from Dakota" when they first met me. I enjoyed the Damon-Runyonesque flavor, but my mother was horrified!! Now my girlfriend calls me "Tater," which I don't like much--who wants to be known as a potato??--but as you say, who gives a rat's ass?? (My mother wouldn't like that much, either...but she daid, as they say.)

In primary school, the other kids nicknamed me "Pid". Took me YEARS to work out why :-(

Stu

ME--I understand the first nickname, but the second? One of my profs in grad school called me el Rojo Grueso. I'm not sure whether he was talking about my brain or commenting on my stature (at 110 pounds, that didn't seem right for me). I told him (once) that he was allowed to call me el Rojo Grande.

Stu--Are we likely/expected to be able to figure out why you were called Pid, or do you plan to share with us? The only thing that comes immediately to mind is rather skanky/insulting to you.

To me Redskins is borderline but the other names clearly glorify the namesake. Or else they would not have used them. Here they protested the name of a school mascot because it was the Pioneers because that glorified white people. I do not see how pioneers could be bad because it praises pioneers but somehow Braves is bad because that makes fun of Indians? It is either one or the other. Some people just need something to whine about.

Ps I am sorry if my comments went too far on the previous Indian thread. Sometimes my passion for resisting political correctness borders on the bounds of bad taste.

Just as an aside, German kids grew up reading Winnetou, the Redskin, and they believed that Native Americans actually and literally had red skin.

Seems a lot of people look so hard for things to be offended about (usually for someone else to). Team mascots are supposed to denote strength and substance; who would take seriously a football team called the Cloud 9's?

Peter Pan had a part about the Red Man and Princess Tiger Lilly. And in Hook and other modern adaptations they completely ignored that part of the story.

Ingineer66--You are definitely not alone. Many of us are capable of expounding on our own theories of politics and human behavior, beyond polite bounds. I certainly am - and do, at times! I'm not a Peter Pan fan, so I'll take your word for that.
P.S. I am given to understand that there were a fair number of black-skinned pioneers along with the hoard of white-skinned ones.

Hattie--From: What does Oklahoma mean?, "Oklahoma is based on Choctaw Indian words which translate as red people (okla meaning "people" and humma meaning "red"). Recorded history for the name "Oklahoma" began with Spanish explorer Coronado in 1541 on his quest for the "Lost City of Gold." Oklahoma became the 46th state on November 16, 1907." BTW: My Native American friends tell me that when they (or many other Native Americans) spend time in the sun, their skins are definitely reddish!

Bogie--Well, then there were "Chuck's Chicks"!

You are correct. In Northern California, we have the town of Beckwourth and Beckwourth Pass, and trail all named for a pioneer that was a freed slave.

Ingineer--Here in Kansas we have an unincorporated community, Nicodemus, about which the National Park Service posts: "Go to Kansas"

"Formerly enslaved African Americans left Kentucky in organized colonies at the end of the of post-Civil War Reconstruction period to experience freedom in the "promised land" of Kansas. Nicodemus represents the involvement of African Americans in the westward expansion and settlement of the Great Plains. It is the oldest and only remaining Black settlement west of the Mississippi River."

The population of Nicodemus is currently about two dozen - half of which are Black. Beckwourth is considerably more populous.

Interesting about Beckwourth CA, thanks. According to Wikipedia, "Beckwourth (formerly, Beckwith)[3] is a census-designated place (CDP) in Plumas County, California, United States.[4]" Interestingly, it further gives the demographics of Beckworth to be, "The 2010 United States Census[8] reported that Beckwourth had a population of 432. The population density was 37.0 people per square mile (14.3/km²). The racial makeup of Beckwourth was 402 (93.1%) White, 0 (0.0%) African American, 11 (2.5%) Native American, 2 (0.5%) Asian, 1 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 7 (1.6%) from other races, and 9 (2.1%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 29 persons (6.7%)."

The town is named after him because it is on the Beckwouth Trail. He did not settle there. It was before the Civil War when he came to California.

Ingineer--Well, of course! You had written as much, before. Thanks for reinforcing your point.

Sorry to beat a dead horse. I thought you were posting the demographics of Beckwourth because you were comparing it to the settlement you referred to. My misunderstanding.

Ingineer--Thanks for being so willing to shoulder the "blame"; but, I was comparing the two. I either did not read your original comment well, or between reading it and writing my comment I forgot exactly what you had said. At that, I'll let the dust settle and just say that I appreciated your hanging in there with me until I got the picture. Thanks!

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