Trump uses ‘Pocahontas’ as a racial slur
Donald Trump calls Sen. Elizabeth Warren “Pocahontas” during an event honoring Navajo Native American war heroes. Pocahontas was the daughter of a Native American chief in the 17th century.
The Native American code talkers, who served with Marine Corps during War War II used their native language to share coded messages at a time when the U.S. Military desperately needed codes that the Japanese couldn’t crack.
During this event, it was an insult for these native veterans to stand in front of a portrait of Andrew Jackson, who was responsible for the deaths of thousands of natives by the Indian Removal Act in 1830. The Act led to the forced march of the “Trail of Tears.”
By Trump using Pocahontas in such a context is considered by some Native Americans to be an ethnic slur.
American Indian names, whether they are historic or contemporary, are not meant to be used as insults. To do so is to reduce them to racial slurs.
Elaine Flores, Springville
This story was originally published December 2, 2017 at 1:23 PM with the headline "Trump uses ‘Pocahontas’ as a racial slur."