In November, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, the first Native American to hold that post, issued an order designed to wipe any mentions of “Squaw,” off the map. She issued a second order that established a 13-member advisory committee, Derogatory Geographic Names Task Force, to identify other offensive names that might be proactively changed under a similar mechanism. The Task Force’s first action was to finalize a decision to replace a full spelling of the derogatory term with “sq___” for all official related communications.
Several states have passed legislation prohibiting the use of the word “squaw” in place names, including Montana, Oregon, Maine, and Minnesota. Those were state decisions, not a Federal mandate.
In Michigan, there are 13 lakes, 10 streams, three canals, two islands, an Upper Peninsula cape, an Alpena County Bay and a Lake Superior beach that carry this name.
“Words matter, particularly in our work to make our nation’s public lands and waters accessible and welcoming to people of all backgrounds. Consideration of these replacements is a big step forward in our efforts to remove derogatory terms whose expiration dates are long overdue,” said Secretary Deb Haaland. “Throughout this process, broad engagement with Tribes, stakeholders, and the general public will help us advance our goals of equity and inclusion.”
The U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) is a federal body created in 1890 and established in its present form by public law in 1947 to maintain uniform geographic name usage throughout the U.S. Federal Government. The BGN comprises representatives of federal agencies concerned with geographic information, population, ecology, and management of public lands. BGN shares its responsibilities with the Secretary of the Interior. Now both the Board on Geographic Names and Derogatory Geographic Names Task Force complete reviews.
From time to time, derogatory names have been identified by the Secretary of Interior or the BGN and have been comprehensively replaced. In 1962, Secretary Udall identified a pejorative term for “African-Americans” as derogatory and directed that the BGN develop a policy to eliminate its use. In 1974, the BGN identified a pejorative term for “Japanese” as derogatory and eliminated its use. When referring to the pejorative term for “African-Americans,” Secretary Udall commented, “[w]hatever the overtones of the word were in the past, unquestionably a great many people now consider it derogatory or worse.” (Note the terms they reference are not included, there is an assumption of knowledge of these terms.)
The BGN will render a decision on all recommended name changes no later than 60 days following the submission of all proposed replacement names by the task force. For each change, the former name will be retained as a variant for historical and archival purposes in the Geographic Names Information System.
The word squaw has been identified as a racist, sexist and ethnic slur for Indigenous women. History tells us the word squaw has roots in Algonquian languages from Indigenous tribes in the Northeastern United States and Canada but has been used for centuries in a derogatory context to demean Native American women. The word "squaw" comes from the Algonquian languages, where it means "woman." In the Massachusset language, the word is "squàw." In Cree, it is "iskwew."
Words, meanings of those words and language are being changed or even worse, erased along with history. If you consider for a moment, many examples will come to mind. Pregnant or Mother is now "birthing person", breastfeeding is now "chest-feeding", suggestions not to refer to your parents as your mother and father, forms that gather information for categorizing who you are now have a list of 20 or more options, including "other." There are words we commit to memory and doing so is important. My parents will forever be Mom and Dad - in my language and in my memory. There are words and meanings that cannot be erased.
There is a story shared by Douglas Murray that illustrates this point.
The annual Soviet writers' congress held in Moscow in 1937 was a dangerous time to be a private citizen, but an even worse time to be a public one. The writers’ congress that year included a lot of very dull, regime-prescribed speeches praising the virtues of Leninist–Stalinism and the sort of occasion to which all artists were subjected through that era: a ritual of forced humiliation. A way of getting everyone to collude in the world of lies.
Boris Pasternak was one of the most famous writers in the country. Though he had not yet completed Doctor Zhivago, everybody knew him. Stalin’s secret police chief and his men were standing by the side of the stage. If Pasternak spoke, he could be "disappeared". If he didn’t speak, he could be "disappeared". He stayed silent. It was on the third and final day of the conference that Pasternak approached the lectern.
He said the number "30." As he said it, all two thousand writers in the hall got to their feet, and—with Pasternak—began to recite Shakespeare's sonnet. Thirty is the number of the Shakespeare sonnet beginning, “When to the sessions of sweet silent thought, I summon up remembrance of things past.”
Summoning-up of collective memory allowed Pasternak to leave the stage unharmed. Beyond that, what did it mean? What were the other people in the hall saying? What you have up here, in your head, no one can take from you. They can rob you, arrest you, disappear you, perhaps even kill you. Perhaps they can kill almost everyone, or at least make a very good try. But they cannot take a memory once it is embedded. They cannot take your language. They cannot take Shakespeare. They cannot take us all. So long as we carry what we have up here—so long as we furnish our heads with the important things—nothing important can truly die.
30.
There are many questions that should be asked and answered. Are all of these geographical areas within the jurisdiction of the Federal Government? If not, who in the Michigan State Government approved changes to those areas that are not Federal land? Do the people who live near geographical features that are being renamed think of squaw in derogatory terms and agree with the change? Were the Indian Tribes of Michigan consulted? Did they request or approve the change? Who bears the cost of these changes?
Federal government overreach, erasing our words, our culture, and our language takes away our freedom. It is worth fighting for. This is what the Convention of States movement was created to prevent. No federal overreach. No blanket decision-making in D.C. that affects all Americans, with zero say from the people and no bipartisan oversight.
Washington is broken. Here at Convention of States, we have a solution as big as the problem. An Article V Convention of States is called and controlled by the states and has the power to PROPOSE constitutional amendments. These are our three simple talking points.
1. Limit the power and jurisdiction of the federal government (including the president)
2. Limit the terms of office for federal officials
3. Limit the ability of Congress and the president to spend and waste our hard-earned money.
What can you do? Sign the petition.
Let your legislators know you want them to take action.
