Niggerhead Explained

"Niggerhead" or "nigger head" is a term that has been used in English-speaking countries with things associated with the head of a black person.[1] [2] Like the word "nigger", the name is now considered taboo in normal usage.

The term was once widely used for all sorts of things, including nautical bollards[3] [4] and consumer products including soap, chewing tobacco, stove polish, canned oysters and shrimp, golf tees, and toy cap pistols, among others. It was often used for geographic features such as hills and rocks and geological objects such as geodes.[5] [6] The term appears in several US patents for mechanical devices prior to about 1950.[7] [8] Other European languages have used similar terms to describe chocolate-coated marshmallow treats.

In 1955, the Aughinbaugh Canning Company of Mississippi renamed its "Nigger Head Brand" oysters to "Negro Head Brand" following pressure from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).[9] More than a hundred "Niggerheads", and other place names now considered racially offensive, were changed in 1962 by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names, but many local names remained unchanged.[10]

In October 2011, while Rick Perry was running for president of the United States, controversial reports that his family leased a hunting camp once called "Niggerhead" caused his record on racial issues to be scrutinized.

In August 2021, a large boulder at University of Wisconsin–Madison was removed after protests by students. The Black Student Union petitioned the university to remove the rock because it had once been described in a 1925 Wisconsin State Journal article as a "niggerhead."[11] [12] [13] [14]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Book: Koch. Harold. Hercus. Luise. Aboriginal Placenames: Naming and Re-Naming the Australian Landscape . 2009. ANU E Press. Canberra. 978-1-921666-08-7. 200.
  2. Book: Whitney. William Dwight. Smith. Benjamin Eli. The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia. 1911. The Century co. 4335.
  3. Web site: Skill in the Surf – A Landing Boat Manual . . February 1945 . 2013-01-05 . 2013-01-31 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130131230855/http://www.history.navy.mil/library/online/surfskill-a.htm . live .
  4. Web site: English Dictionary – Definition of "niggerhead" . Collins . 2013-10-05 . 2014-03-10 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140310000341/http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/niggerhead . live .
  5. Book: Mordoh, Alice. The Old Traditional Way of Life. 1989. Trickster Press. Indiana University Folklore Institute. 0-915305-02-X. 99.
  6. Book: Wallace, Samuel. The American Journal of Science and Arts VolXV. 1878. New Haven. 366.
  7. US . 2157153 . patent . Niggerhead . 1939-05-09 . 1936-08-13 . 1936-08-13 . Herman J Toche . American Coach And Body Company .
  8. US . 2585991 . patent . Niggerhead . 1952-02-19 . 1949-08-24 . 1949-08-24 . John Balmer . John Balmer.
  9. Johnson Publishing Company. Jet. Jet. 2013-05-01. 18 August 1955. Johnson Publishing Company. 28. 0021-5996.
  10. News: McCrummen. Stephanie. At Rick Perry's Texas hunting spot, camp's old racially charged name lingered. 2 October 2011. Washington Post. 2 October 2011. 3 October 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20111003184717/http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/rick-perry-familys-hunting-camp-still-known-to-many-by-old-racially-charged-name/2011/10/01/gIQAOhY5DL_story.html. live.
  11. Web site: Tomei. Savannah. 2021-08-06. UW-Madison moves 42-ton boulder after effort from students of color. 2021-08-24. spectrumnews1.com. en. 2021-08-24. https://web.archive.org/web/20210824155329/https://spectrumnews1.com/wi/milwaukee/news/2021/08/06/chamberlin-rock-moved. live.
  12. Web site: Erickson. Doug. 2021-08-06. No longer a memorial, rock removed from campus. 2021-08-24. news.wisc.edu. en-US. 2021-08-24. https://web.archive.org/web/20210824195305/https://news.wisc.edu/no-longer-a-memorial-rock-removed-from-campus/. live.
  13. Web site: Gretzinger. Erin. 2021-08-08. Watch now: Boulder that provoked controversy removed from UW-Madison campus. 2021-08-24. madison.com. en. 2023-01-24. https://archive.today/20230124000536/https://madison.com/news/local/watch-now-boulder-that-provoked-controversy-removed-from-uw-madison-campus/article_76141a66-d3e6-5154-b2bc-c63aa31b42d6.html. live.
  14. Web site: PYRE. RUSSELL B.. Read the Wisconsin State Journal's original article on Chamberlin Rock (1925). 2021-08-24. madison.com. 9 August 2021. en. 2021-08-24. https://web.archive.org/web/20210824155329/https://madison.com/news/local/read-the-wisconsin-state-journals-original-article-on-chamberlin-rock-1925/article_e4cfcb52-774c-53ab-8b46-34009a0aeb64.html. live.

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