Major Protests Expected This Weekend and This Is Why...

Months of planning and negotiations between the multiple sides that will be represented at this weekend's Vikings vs Redskins game have come to culminated on this moment. November 2^nd, 2014 is expected to represent one of the largest Native American protests in the history of the State of Minnesota and the epicenter of it all will be TCF Bank Stadium on the campus of the University of Minnesota.

The controversy has been stirring for the past couple years surrounding the nickname "Redskins" that goes along with the Washington NFL franchise. While one side claims that the term is honoring the warrior history of the Native people, the other side, actual Native Americans claim that the nickname brings with it a much more disparaging etymology.

To some it is believed that the term is simply a slightly racist term used to reference the skin tone of the Native American people. If that's not outlandish enough for you, there's more to the story as well.

Those protesting the use of the nickname suggest that the term "Redskins" is in reference to an ugly time in American history when the civil rights of American Indians were taken from them, along with many of their lives being taken as well.

*Disclaimer – While some hold tight to the truth in the following explanation, there are others who refute it's accuracy. The following details do contain graphic explanations.

According to multiple historical sources, the nickname "Redskins" refers to the day and age when bounties were placed on the heads of Native Americans and the monies were collected when the scalps of dead American Indians were submitted.

With the land being filled by European settlers, government officials put a bounty of 50 pounds out for every dead Native American. As the bodies of Native Americans were submitted, townsmen realized they had a problem disposing of the decaying bodies. The bounty was then changed to reflect the problem and required only the heads be submitted to receive the bounty. But still, the problem persisted. According to some, the term "redskins" came about at this point as the requirements were changed again requiring only the scalp of the deceased to collect the monies.

To date, The University of Minnesota, the Minnesota Vikings and the NFL have been in contact with both Dan Snyder, owner of the Redskins, and representatives from multiple Native American tribes trying to lay out a plan for this weekend and the ultimate future of the Redskins nickname. To date, the plan for this weekend continues to be business as usual for all parties involved.

Because of these decisions, representatives from multiple tribes will be on hand Sunday protesting the NFL's use of the nickname led by Indian activist Clyde Bellecourt. While the protests are expected to remain peaceful, they are also expected to be large. Sources with knowledge of the situation expect the protests to cause major delays leading up to kickoff.