Niggerhead

In several English-speaking countries, the word niggerhead or nigger head is a former name for several things thought to resemble the head of a black person (cf. "nigger").[1][2] The name is now taboo in normal usage.

For other uses, see Niggerhead (disambiguation).

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] Languages other than English 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.[11]

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."[12][13][14][15]

See also

References
  1. Koch, Harold; Hercus, Luise (2009). Aboriginal Placenames: Naming and Re-Naming the Australian Landscape. Canberra: ANU E Press. p. 200. ISBN 978-1-921666-08-7.
  2. Whitney, William Dwight; Smith, Benjamin Eli (1911). The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia. The Century co. p. 4335.
  3. "Skill in the Surf – A Landing Boat Manual". Accessed via Naval History & Heritage Command. February 1945. Retrieved 2013-01-05.
  4. "English Dictionary – Definition of "niggerhead"". Collins. Retrieved 2013-10-05.
  5. Mordoh, Alice (1989). The Old Traditional Way of Life. Indiana University Folklore Institute: Trickster Press. p. 99. ISBN 0-915305-02-X.
  6. Wallace, Samuel (1878). The American Journal of Science and Arts VolXV. New Haven. p. 366.
  7. US patent 2157153, Herman J Toche, "Niggerhead", published 1939-05-09, assigned to American Coach And Body Company
  8. US patent 2585991, John Balmer, "Niggerhead", published 1952-02-19, assigned to John Balmer
  9. Johnson Publishing Company (18 August 1955). "Jet". Jet. Johnson Publishing Company: 28. ISSN 0021-5996. Retrieved 2013-05-01.
  10. McCrummen, Stephanie (2 October 2011). "At Rick Perry's Texas hunting spot, camp's old racially charged name lingered". Washington Post. Retrieved 2 October 2011.
  11. McCrummen, Stephanie (October 1, 2011). "At Rick Perry's Texas hunting spot, camp's old racially charged name lingered". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 3, 2011.
  12. Tomei, Savannah (2021-08-06). "UW-Madison moves 42-ton boulder after effort from students of color". spectrumnews1.com. Retrieved 2021-08-24.
  13. Erickson, Doug (2021-08-06). "No longer a memorial, rock removed from campus". news.wisc.edu. Retrieved 2021-08-24.
  14. Gretzinger, Erin (2021-08-08). "Watch now: Boulder that provoked controversy removed from UW-Madison campus". madison.com. Retrieved 2021-08-24.
  15. PYRE, RUSSELL B. (9 August 2021). "Read the Wisconsin State Journal's original article on Chamberlin Rock (1925)". madison.com. Retrieved 2021-08-24.
  • The dictionary definition of nigger head at Wiktionary
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