Hunley: 'Indians' is OK; 'Redskins,' well ...

The American Indian chief’s answer surprised me.

It was several years ago, and I was interviewing him at a powwow at the Prince William County Fairgrounds.

I asked him about the name of the NFL team in D.C. He said that, for him, the negative connotation of “Redskins” wasn’t as bad as the red-faced, feather-adorned head on the team’s helmets.

The gentleman’s comments have been on my mind lately as other American Indians have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to declare our beloved franchise’s nickname derogatory at best and racist at worst.

Now, I’m not so upset about the situation that I’m going to ditch my season tickets or toss everything I own that bears that familiar logo.

But the term “Redskins” is wrong. I don’t want to admit it. But that’s the right thing to do.

And the right thing is frequently difficult. That’s probably why many fans don’t want a name change. We’re not so much wedded to Indian stereotypes as we’re comfortable with the status quo.

We figure we can call quarterbacks and linebackers “Redskins” and simultaneously know that whooping or joking about scalping is prejudiced.

Maybe the name really was originally meant to honor the team’s then-head coach, William “Lone Star” Dietz, who was supposedly part Sioux.

In another life, I wrote an editorial for another newspaper saying that’s why “Redskins” should be maintained.

But now it seems more important to restate the notion that nearly no one would abide a team called the Washington N-words or the Washington Wetbacks or anything that so obviously besmirched a specific group.

On the other hand, it’s not clear that EVERY American Indian nickname should go.

Prince William County has so many schools that three of them have such monikers: Gar-Field High School’s Indians, the Seminoles of Woodbridge Middle School and the Braves of Occoquan Elementary.

But no one seems out of sorts over those local examples. Rudy Zimmermann, Gar-Field’s activities director, told me that it’s been several years since anyone has said anything about his school’s nickname.

“The only time it comes up is when something is going on at the national level,” he said.

Maybe that’s because the school carries a positive air toward native peoples.

Gar-Field focuses on American Indians’ sense of tradition, Zimmermann said, and on the pride and strength of the folks who were on this continent long before many of our ancestors.

In previous years, the 2,575-student school may have presented less-than-flattering Indian images, but now, he said, “We try to avoid the caricature.”

Still, though Zimmermann said Gar-Field has never been asked to change its mascot, he noted that newer county schools have chosen nicknames referring to places or animals to avoid even the appearance of bigotry.

“They’re very concerned about it,” he said.

I want to say that’s too much political correctness, but it’s probably the right decision.

Zimmermann and his bunch may do what they can to be respectful, but there’s no guarantee that others will.

Of course, we should expect nothing less than honor from the Gar-Field community. The school’s colors are red, white and blue.

Jonathan Hunley is a staff writer at the News & Messenger. Contact him at 703-369-5738 or at jhunley@insidenova.com.