When these bounty hunters would come to the trading post, they would receive payment for their deer-skins, their, beaver-skins, their raccoon-skins, and their red-skins. At this sad time in American history, American Indian people, young and old, male and female, were hunted like animals for bounties. In it's origin, it refers to the bloody scalps of Native children, women and men that were sold for bounties aside animal skins in the USA. Webster's Dictionary defines the term as a racial slur. Still used as a name for many sports teams, this word is offensive by its very nature. Native American women should be called women - not 'squaws'. The term is a French corruption of a Native word that makes an indirect reference to female genitalia, and was used by non-Native men as a very derogatory insult to Indigenous women. The term 'squaw' is very offensive to American Indian women. Used as a name for many parks, valleys, mountains etc. This is a word that has been used to refer to First Nations women. We hope this helps those who seek clarification have a clearer understanding of why words, and the way they are used, matter. Other words, like the 'N' word, the 'R' word and 'squaw' are inherently bigoted in any context. So words like 'chief', 'brave', and 'savage' are not, in and of themselves, offensive but their use in the context of racially stereotypical labels of Native people is. But in the context of racial bigotry toward black men, the word 'boy' takes on a whole new meaning, and becomes a racial slur. For example the word 'boy', by itself, is a harmless word. A word itself, out of the context in which it is used, may or may not be offensive. Sometimes words have more than one meaning.

Indian brave definition