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Officials have approved the removal of the derogatory term “squaw” from more than 30 landforms and place names in California, according to a Friday announcement from the state Natural Resources Agency.
The measure stems from a bill that Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law in 2022 and follows a similar move by the U.S. Department of the Interior, which said, “Historically, this term has It has been used as an offensive racial and sexist slur, especially for Indigenous women.
A California law, Assembly Bill 2022, would ban the use of the word in future place names and remove all locations where the word is used, including roads, bridges, public buildings, wildfire fuel rest areas, and cemeteries. Ordered the Department of Resources to begin the name change.
For Geneva Thompson, the Natural Resources Agency’s deputy commissioner for tribal affairs, a first-time official and a member of the Cherokee Nation, this will heal centuries of harm the state has inflicted on Native Americans. This is a significant step towards achieving this goal.
“While it is critically important to acknowledge the historical wrongs committed against Native Americans, we need to take the next steps toward healing,” Thompson said. “There are differences between people, but we can build communities that reflect, respect, and celebrate those differences, rather than marginalizing or perpetuating historical wrongs.”
The name change is expected to take place in early 2025. This follows an order from U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland to rename features and places where the term is used on federal lands, including dozens in California.
The California Geographical Names Advisory Board, overseen by the California Department of Natural Resources, examines maps of California for uses of the word under state jurisdiction, and the agency works with local governments and Indian tribes to develop new names. Selected.
In West Sacramento, local authorities worked closely with the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation to rename two streets.
The street’s new name, Tebuti, is a word and blessing that means “rivers that flow together,” referring to the Sacramento River and the American River, which meet in West Sacramento.
One local official framed the new name as a “gift to the community,” Thompson said.
Anthony Roberts, Tribal Chairman of the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation, said, “The Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation has led the effort to change the degrading mascot image of Native Americans. “We support replacing the derogatory name,” it said in a statement. The name will change. “With continued consultation, tribes can lead the effort to eliminate such language from California’s public spaces.”
Some scholars believe this now offensive term is spoken by many tribes on the East Coast and originally came from the Algonquian word meaning “woman.”
“It’s a racial stereotype. In some cases, it can be a means of harm against an individual or a group of people,” Thompson said. “If you look at the history of California, you see it happening. The term was written in the diary of a military general as a way to justify violence committed against other Native women. I understand.”
AB 2022 was introduced to the floor in 2018 by Rep. James Ramos (D-Highland), the state’s first Native American legislator.
In a statement announcing the name change, Ramos said the term “denigrates and dehumanizes Native American women.”
“I believe that dehumanization has contributed to the Indigenous Peoples Murder and Missing Crisis. The Indigenous Peoples Crisis affects all people, but it affects a disproportionate number of women and girls. ” he said. “None of my colleagues in Congress voted against this bill, because many recognize that this is not a place name in California.”
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