By now we are all probably aware of the media flash-mob that has erupted over presidential candidate Rick Perry’s badly named hunting ranch leased plot near Haskell, Texas. There’s quite a story in the New York Times about it here.
Seeing the word used today, it reminded me of an odd experience in west Texas earlier this year where I heard the term used before. I had forgotten all about it until today. I hadn’t intended to write a story on this at all, but curiosity about that event led me down an interesting set of rabbit holes, so I thought I’d share what I learned about this ugly and offensive term and how surprising the wide and varied use of it is.
In the spring, I was at a conference/tradeshow in Oklahoma and Dallas where I showed some of our weather equipment. Reader may recall I blogged about the Japan earthquake and Tsunami while in a hotel room in Oklahoma City. The next week I was in Dallas. Shortly after the conference closed, I had the misfortune of driving along a stretch of lonely highway 82 between Dallas and Lubbock. I had to go through Lubbock because I needed to go to Muleshoe, TX, where there was an unsurveyed USHCN station I wanted to add to the surfacestations.org station database, and Muleshoe (only to discover later that Juan Slayton had added it already) was so that had to be my route so I could connect to Highway 388 which goes NW from Lubbock to Muleshoe, and then on to Fort Sumner NM where I wanted to verify a Google street view on an MMTS. My GPS, as GPS’s sometimes do had me going on some backroads, including Munday, TX which I thought had an odd name and I got turned around for a bit and found myself headed south on 277 to Haskell. Got that solved and headed west on 222 to connect to 82.
I found myself in a pickle when I reached Guthrie, TX because I was getting low on gas, and I hadn’t seen any gas stations. From the 82 bypass around Guthrie I spotted what looked to be a gas station, so I double back, took the exit and went into town. It was a gas station alright, long since closed and there was nothing else in town. I was afraid I’d find myself stranded in Guthrie. I was struck by the fact that I was in the middle of one of the biggest oil producing states, and there was not a drop of gasoline to be found. There was no cell service that would support web browsing on my phone either, so I couldn’t search for one.
So I drove around just a bit in Guthrie, until I spotted somebody I could ask. It was like a ghost town, but I finally found someone (actually they found me because parked and waited and he rode by on a bike) and I flagged the guy down and asked where I might find some gas. He thought a moment and said “There’s no gas here, nearest is either Ralls or Crosbyton”. I asked where those towns were and he said: “on 82 (pointing west) out past the niggerheads, and then past Dickens”. I said “What? Niggerhead? Is that a town? and he looked at me like I was from another planet (I didn’t tell him I was from California) and he said “no that’s the hills, you’ll see em, and then ya go through Dickens, and Crosbyton, and then Ralls. One of ‘em should have gas.”
I did find gas in Crosbyton, after driving west on 82 through the hills the man described which you can see here in Google maps.
The term “niggerheads” was puzzling and odd, but I figured it was just some local colloquialism, and I didn’t give it another thought…until today.
So after being bombarded with all the news stories about how offensive this term is, and noting that some of the same people doing reporting lambasting Perry over the name of a ranch called “niggerhead” have absolutely no trouble at all calling people like me and the readers of WUWT “deniers” (Think Progress, Rachel Maddow on MSNBC, among others) which is also an ugly and offensive term due to the connection to “holocaust deniers”.
So, I thought I’d see what I could find on it. I figured if it was some sort of local colloquial term when I heard it in Texas last spring, I’d find it in older books and maps.
So in my first Google search, amongst all the news stories about Perry, I found my first clue as to why I heard the term, in Wikipedia:
The term was once widely used for all sorts of things, including products such as soap and chewing tobacco, but most often for geographic features such as hills and rocks.[citation needed] In the U.S., more than 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.[1]
So that explained why the fellow I asked directions from used the term for the hills I’d drive through. The NYT article I cited above also mentions this.
I can understand how it is offensive, and I can certainly see removing it. But I think removing it is going to be a much bigger job than the bloodhounds in the mainstream media thinks. Just look at all the references to the word in science and engineering and geography:
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Nigger Head, an island in North Queensland, Australia
United States. Bureau of Fisheries – 1921 – Free Google eBook – Read
NIGGERHEAD GROUP. The shells of the niggerhead group distinguish themselves from all others of the Quadrula class by combining a … In buying mussels for button manufacture the price is often based upon the percentage of niggerheads.
Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen – 1911 – Free Google eBook – Read
One chamber casting (acting as a nigger head), is bolted centrally to the dry pipe in such a manner as to have the fingers … As the throttle is opened, steam is admitted through the dry pipe to the header which acts as a nigger head.
The vegetation of New Zealand – Page 157
books.google.com Leonard Cockayne – 1921 – 456 pages – Free Google eBook – Read
3- Niggerhead (Carex secta)-association. Here shock-headed masses of C. secta are dominant raised above the water on … Niggerhead -swamp contains many of the ordinary swamp-plants and many transitions occur between it and Phormium-
License my roving hands: poems and stories – Page 19
books.google.comJuanita Tobin – 2000 – 57 pages – Preview
NIGGERHEAD ROAD The squeaky, old doors have closed forever on a school, a drug store and train station with a telegraph office where matrimonial ads and baseball games were transmitted as well as business on the stock exchange and a …
International Association of Bridge, Structural, and Ornamental Iron Workers – 1905 – Free Google eBook – Read
THE MAN ON THE NIGGER HEAD. His legs are poor, he can’t go aloft, In the “bull” gang he is dead; But should the boss throw a line across He is first to the ” nigger head.” He keeps the line coiled neat and trim, But I have often heard it…
In the Alaskan wilderness – Google Books Result
books.google.com/books?id=BHUtAAAAYAAJ…George Byron Gordon – 1917 – Alaska – 247 pages
This is what is called nigger- head and muskeg in the language of the North. … on any map of Alaska), and prepared to do all the portaging ourselves. …
Highway to Alaska
books.google.com Herbert Charles Lanks – 1944 – 200 pages – Snippet view
16 Niggerhead and Horse Camp Lakes The next day I decided to explore ahead on foot, for there was no one in camp who seemed to know the condition of the road. They said that the last vehicle had got through way back in April, …
The Pennsylvania barn: its origin, evolution, and distribution in … – Page 263
books.google.com Robert F. Ensminger – 2003 – 348 pages – Preview
The development of the nigger head in central Pennsylvania was examined under ” Tying Joints and Bent Raisings” (see … The emergence of the nigger head may also result from a simplification of the double tie beam, which is commonly …
Journal of conchology: Volume 11 – Page 214
books.google.com Conchological Society of Great Britain and Ireland – 1906 – Free Google eBook – Read
Moreover the growth of the shells is very slow, the time required for a “nigger- head” to reach a size of three … The standard is the “niggerhead.” In 1897 the market value of this species in Muscatine ranged from 40 to 62 cents per …
The mineral resources of New South Wales – Page 402
books.google.com Geological Survey of New South Wales, Edward Fisher Pittman – 1901 – 487 pages – Free Google eBook – Read
There is another peculiar form common on the field, known as a nigger head. These nigger heads are usually oval or spherical masses of more or less opal- impregnated, fine grained silica ; they are of all sizes from 1 lb. to 1 cwt.,
California Place Names: The Origin and Etymology of Current … – Page 258
books.google.com Erwin G. Gudde, William Bright – 2004 – 460 pages – Preview
and Niggerhead Mountain [Los Angeles Co. ] (which probably reflect the now obsolete term “niggerhead” in the sense of … Note that the term “Niggerhead” in place names may refer not to the head of a Negro, but rather to a flanged drum …
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So clearly, the offensive term is well established in literature and placenames. It will take time and effort to remove it.
Remember the photo at the top of this story? Guess what the name of it was up until about a year ago.
Even politically correct California suffered (until recently) from a place called “Niggerhead Mountain” of which you can get an interactive map of right here at this link: http://californiamaps.org/place.php?county=Los+Angeles&feature=Niggerhead+Mountain
And while it still shows up in map databases, it too has recently been renamed:
History professor works to rename mountain in Los Angeles
Thanks to the work of a Moorpark College history professor, a Southern California mountain will be renamed to honor the man who first settled in the area and erase the original racial slur.
Good for him, it is the right thing to do. But it just goes to demonstrate that the current inhabitants of a place often get stuck with unfortunate names of the past, and that doesn’t necessarily make somebody who lives by that mountain in Los Angeles county a racist.
It also doesn’t make the people of Queensland, Australia, who have an island named “niggerhead”, racist. Wikipedia says:
Nigger Head is a small island in the Northern part of Shelburne Bay in far north Queensland, Australia about 30km North of Cape Grenville, Cape York Peninsula in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Queensland, Australia.[1] It is so named because it is an isolated coral outcrop; such outcrops were previously known as Niggerheads by British sailors.
And here it is, currently in the Australian Government Geoscience page:
I wonder if any Australian political candidates ever go fishing or diving near that island? Wow, wouldn’t that be a bombshell?
So clearly, with all the citations of “niggerhead” I found in books, maps, placenames, and professional journals, there’s a lot of work to do to erase the ugly and insensitive term. There’s also a lot of places where the term is used and there’s no outrage (yet).
In light of this, I think we all should cut Rick Perry some slack, because the one presidential candidate who would be the most offended by the term, Herman Cain, isn’t. From CBS News:
Cain said he is “done with that issue,” making the following comment in response to reporters’ questions: “Was I satisfied with Governor Perry’s explanation about the name of the ranch where he went hunting? And I said, ‘Yes I am. Next question.”
I suspect Perry told him some of the same things I learned about placenames and geography.
Now if we can just get those same reporters in the MSM to stop labeling skeptics with another ugly and offensive term “deniers” like Andy Revkin’s recent NYT story where he even goes so far as to promote a map, “A Map of Organized Climate Change Denial“, I and many others will feel far less offended.
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Note to commenters and moderators – I will NOT tolerate anything offensive related to this story in comments. All such responses will be deleted. – Anthony
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The cowboys, when they were gathering cattle, they’d say they’re going to the Matthews or Niggerhead or the Nail” pastures, said Bill Reed, a distributor for Coors beer in nearby Abilene who used to lease a hunting parcel adjacent to the Perrys’. “Those were all names. Nobody thought anything about it…”
You know, Texas is a little different — you go where it’s comfortable,” Reed said. “. . . It would have been one thing if they had named it, but they didn’t. So, it’s basically a figure of speech as far as most people are concerned. No one thought anything about it.”
Not a racist thought in their heads. REALLY???!!!!
JeffC,
So where do we draw the line? Do we jettison the 1st Amendment, and curtail free speech? Do we hand over free speech to government bureaucrats?
I have never used the n-word as an insult, and very rarely used it as an example. But the current racial politics turns my stomach. Obama doesn’t have a drop of slave blood in his body, but for twenty years he has attended a ‘church’ where his ‘Reverend’ has preached “God damn America.”
It is pushback time, and Anthony’s post is a finger in the wind. Enough with “racism”!
Smokey – I hear you, but this isn’t a First Amendment question. The state is not rounding up and jailing people for using the word (that I know of). I’m simply saying that the word was used to degrade, dehumanize, and humiliate millions of people based on the color of their skin. These were US citizens just like you and me, yet they were second class citizens in their own country. Perhaps there are some who commented who have experienced that firsthand, but I doubt it. We have no idea what they went through. The decent thing to do is not use the word. I’m not talking about renaming landmarks here, but just using the word even when it’s clearly not meant as a slur. Why do it? There are other words (such as the F word) that are considered offensive and not used, is that political correctness?
I have no love for Reverend Wright, his comments are pretty clear proof he has his own problems. So how does that justify continuing to use this word?
Just so happens:
The Canadian Government is processing a bill to eliminate provisions in Canadian law that allow prosecution of someone who writes what is deemed to be, by a kangaroo tribunal, “hate” speech on the internet.
http://www.suite101.com/news/abolishing-hate-speech-provision-in-the-canadian-human-rights-act-a391386
Will wonders never cease.
Jeff C;
see my post above, re the persistent exclusive use by blacks of the n-word to assert victimhood. That’s Great Society soul-destroying self-degradation worse than racial slurs. Perhaps an explosive challenge to the rush to deliberate debased dependency would be worth the candle.
Two reasons some might be offended:
http://www.markbuckles.com/images/st.jpg
From Wikipedia:
“Whorehouse Meadow is a meadow located on the west slope of Steens Mountain northeast of Frenchglen, Oregon, United States. It earned its name in the days of the Old West. Entrepreneuring females from Vale, Oregon would set up wood and canvas tents in the meadow to provide services to the sheepherders and cattlemen of the area. Many of the sheepherders were Basque American immigrants, and their sometimes explicit carvings can still be found in the bark of aspen trees surrounding the meadow. The name was changed briefly in the 1960s to “Naughty Girl Meadow” on Bureau of Land Management maps, but in 1981 the old name was restored after public outcry.”
Paul Westhaver says:
October 4, 2011 at 2:45 pm
To Garth the troll…
he said”I guess by your thinking no-one has the right to be offended by speech. I guess you would include the victims of the psychopaths who blew up the twin towers …..
No. You are stupid if you believe this. I don’t see how “rights” have anything to do with someone perceiving that they have had their feeling hurt…..People get offended if you pronounce their name wrong or any number of things.. Offense is what happens to the recipient. Be offended or not, it is up to you and….you don’t have the right NOT to be offended… Not the twisted logic you stated.
… and what does killing people and property destruction have to do with free speech….. oh right… to Garth the demogogue, they are the same thing.
Stick and stones may break my bones but names shall never hurt me.
Thanks you Paul for your measured response where you have as usual not resorted to concepts or ideas to try and support your argument. I completely agree, no-one has this strange double negative of the right not to be offended, I also see you use in a short post terms to me such as “Troll. stupid,twisted logic, demogogue” etc despite my response to you being entirely polite.
Now why is that? You are obviously angry at something I have said, possibly it is because I have misunderstood your post so I stand condemned in your eyes. So your use of such terms is designed to hurt and cause distress to me. Purposely and deliberately without concern for their impact. You don’t know me or my character, yet you make free use of such terms.
This is my argument against the N word. It is deeply hurtful when used by whites against those who suffered at the hands of our ancestors, yet people rationalise why they should be to use it and dam the consequences. You quote the sticks and stones idea. It may be true if the words were not understood. However most responsible western governments have laws against the use of words designed to stir up racial hatred or to cause distress and slander. If you are unsure about that you may care to test the idea by taking out an advertisement using some words deemed to cause problems and assess the legal response.
Now if you wish to debate, take a leaf from Monckton and don’t swear scream or throw your dummy out of the pram ( You may not understand that if you are American) A measured response is so much more effective than a tirade of abuse. As the Oxford Don said when in such debates, See you next Tuesday!.
reply to: Brian H says: October 4, 2011 at 1:48 pm
Agreed!
Here in Ireland we are called Paddys, thickoes, morons and edgits! What do we do?
We move on after a good laugh at ourselves, and remember the good times. We are a proud nation. You may call us whatever you wish – we know what we are – we love it!!
Jeff C,
As I’ve explained, I never use the word in a disparaging manner. But you need to get over the fact that pejoratives are part of public discourse. You either support the spirit of the 1st Amendment, or you don’t. “Honky” is also insulting, but I just move on when I hear it. Sticks & stones, etc.
After all though, all persons in America are free to be equal, if they choose. The use of a certain derogatory by either inner city blacks or hateful whites says more about the person using the term than it says about the nature of America. In the US we all know the history and collectively we have changed the course. Today there are many new African immigrants who have come to America to be Americans. It must not be such a racist place.
My German friends were amused by the name of the former Governor of California: Arnold Schwarzenegger. Translate his last name into English as they would do and you have a famous public figure with an amusing, at least to Europeans, last name. I’m just saying.
I’m mildly surprised one of your readers who is a former sailor hasn’t mentioned the “gypsy head” on a winch or capstan. In the old days, the Chief/B’osn might have said: “take a turn around that niggerhead” referring to putting a line around the winch head to work it. Now, he or she would likely order a turn around the gypsy head unless that term has been PC’d too.
I scroogled on “honkyhead.” It was surprising to see that there were a number of entries, but nothing that was front page news at the top of the heap. If Barry had rented and exercised hunting rights on Honkyhead Ranch, and if he had the mounted the appropriate trophies–or inappropriate trophies, depending on one’s point of view–on his wall to prove it, THAT would be newsworthy! (I’m not counting the metaphorical McCainosaurus trophy.)