In early April, the NFL announced the Washington Redskins would be hosting the franchise’s first Thanksgiving Day game this year. When considering the Native American contributions to Thanksgiving and the meaning of redskin, it seems a little strange to have this contradiction.
The word redskin has a long and varied history. The Beothuk tribe, located in what is now Newfoundland, Canada, was said to have painted their bodies with red ochre. White settlers referred to them as “red men.”
Ives Goddard, a Smithsonian historian, told NPR early historical records show redskin used as a self-identifier by Native Americans.