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Irregular News for 10.10.06
Squaw Bay, ID -- Members of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe refer to it as the "S Word," but 93 creeks, canyons, peaks and springs in Idaho that include the name "squaw" are not so censored on maps.
Linguists debate the meaning of the word, but the Coeur d'Alene Tribe and most other American Indians in the Northwest say it's a derogatory reference for a woman's genitals dating back to the area's frontier past.
Now, members of the tribe are pushing to strike 13 squaw references from maps of Idaho.
"It's been a long time coming to have such a derogatory word taken off our maps," Coeur d'Alene tribal council member Norma Peon told The Spokesman-Review newspaper in Spokane, Wash. "We know why they used that word back in the day. My family comes from a long line of French trappers. We know what they meant."
But some state officials have vowed to fight any changes, saying the names reflect the West's colorful past.
"We're changing the names of absolutely everything," said Kootenai County Commissioner Rick Currie. "I'm basically tired of it. The public has talked to me about it. Overwhelmingly the residents of Kootenai County don't want the change."
Idaho is not the first state to take issue over the word. Washington has removed at least four references to squaw in the past 10 years and Montana erased about 20 squaw references on it's maps, according to Janet Ward, a Boise resident who has taken up the cause on behalf of the American Association of University Women.
"Why should you continue to demean women to preserve colorful history?" Ward said. "There are no names in Idaho that would refer to a man in that way."
Changing the maps is not easy. The Coeur d'Alene Tribe has petitioned the U.S. Board on Geographic Names. But first, the board of the Idaho name council must recommend a change to the national board.
The name council met Friday in Boise and discussed the proposal, but no action will be taken until the next meeting in February. Also on the council's docket: a proposal to change Saint Mary's Nipple near Idaho Falls to Saint Mary's Knoll.
If the Idaho name council votes to change the squaw names, the U.S. Board on Geographic Names will weigh the complaint against local use and the recommendation of local politicians, said Suzie Neitzel, compliance coordinator with the Idaho State Historical Society.
The tribe wants to replace the squaw designations with American Indian names that honor women or reflect traditional use of the land.
Squaw Creek in the St. Joe National Forest could become Chimeash Creek, after the native language's term for a "young woman of good character," according to the proposal.
Squaw Bay on Lake Coeur d'Alene could be renamed Neachen Bay, in reference to the site's earlier use as a place where deer were rounded up and forced into the lake to be killed.
Rep. d!(k Harwood, R-St. Maries, opposes the name changes. He said the controversy stems from a miscommunication between cultures - pioneers and explorers, including Lewis and Clark, referred to Indian women as squaws out of respect.
"It was an honor," Harwood said. "It's how you use the word, not what the word means. It's funny how words change. Gay used to mean happy."
source
Squaw Bay, ID -- Members of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe refer to it as the "S Word," but 93 creeks, canyons, peaks and springs in Idaho that include the name "squaw" are not so censored on maps.
Linguists debate the meaning of the word, but the Coeur d'Alene Tribe and most other American Indians in the Northwest say it's a derogatory reference for a woman's genitals dating back to the area's frontier past.
Now, members of the tribe are pushing to strike 13 squaw references from maps of Idaho.
"It's been a long time coming to have such a derogatory word taken off our maps," Coeur d'Alene tribal council member Norma Peon told The Spokesman-Review newspaper in Spokane, Wash. "We know why they used that word back in the day. My family comes from a long line of French trappers. We know what they meant."
But some state officials have vowed to fight any changes, saying the names reflect the West's colorful past.
"We're changing the names of absolutely everything," said Kootenai County Commissioner Rick Currie. "I'm basically tired of it. The public has talked to me about it. Overwhelmingly the residents of Kootenai County don't want the change."
Idaho is not the first state to take issue over the word. Washington has removed at least four references to squaw in the past 10 years and Montana erased about 20 squaw references on it's maps, according to Janet Ward, a Boise resident who has taken up the cause on behalf of the American Association of University Women.
"Why should you continue to demean women to preserve colorful history?" Ward said. "There are no names in Idaho that would refer to a man in that way."
Changing the maps is not easy. The Coeur d'Alene Tribe has petitioned the U.S. Board on Geographic Names. But first, the board of the Idaho name council must recommend a change to the national board.
The name council met Friday in Boise and discussed the proposal, but no action will be taken until the next meeting in February. Also on the council's docket: a proposal to change Saint Mary's Nipple near Idaho Falls to Saint Mary's Knoll.
If the Idaho name council votes to change the squaw names, the U.S. Board on Geographic Names will weigh the complaint against local use and the recommendation of local politicians, said Suzie Neitzel, compliance coordinator with the Idaho State Historical Society.
The tribe wants to replace the squaw designations with American Indian names that honor women or reflect traditional use of the land.
Squaw Creek in the St. Joe National Forest could become Chimeash Creek, after the native language's term for a "young woman of good character," according to the proposal.
Squaw Bay on Lake Coeur d'Alene could be renamed Neachen Bay, in reference to the site's earlier use as a place where deer were rounded up and forced into the lake to be killed.
Rep. d!(k Harwood, R-St. Maries, opposes the name changes. He said the controversy stems from a miscommunication between cultures - pioneers and explorers, including Lewis and Clark, referred to Indian women as squaws out of respect.
"It was an honor," Harwood said. "It's how you use the word, not what the word means. It's funny how words change. Gay used to mean happy."
source
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