Comment Period Open to Rename “Squaw” Locales
Photo by Allison Sayer. Bird's eye view of the soon to be renamed ”Squaw Creek” drainage in the Richardson Highway corridor.
Allison Sayer - CRR Staff
Two creeks and one “island” in the Copper Basin that bear the name “squaw” are designated to be renamed due to the derogatory nature of the word. The locations, including maps and coordinates, of the features to be renamed can be viewed online at US Board on Geographic Names.
The USGS table of names also lists candidates for substitute names that are based on local geographic features. However, the public can submit suggestions for any name to replace the word “squaw,” that is not the name of a currently living person.
In a Department of the Interior press release, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland stated, “Racist terms have no place in our vernacular or on our federal lands. Our nation’s lands and waters should be places to celebrate the outdoors and our shared cultural heritage – not to perpetuate the legacies of oppression.”
The Press Release continues, “Secretarial Order 3404 formally identifies the term ‘squaw’ as derogatory and creates a federal task force to find replacement names for geographic features on federal lands bearing the term. The term has historically been used as an offensive ethnic, racial, and sexist slur, particularly for Indigenous women.”
To submit a comment or suggestion for a new name, search for “Reconciliation of Derogatory Geographic Names” on the Regulations.gov webpage. Comments are due April 25.
Photo by Allison Sayer. Rainbow over soon to be renamed “Squaw Creek.”