Interior secretary seeks to remove derogatory US place names

That panel will be made up of tribal representatives and civil rights, anthropology and history experts.In the 1960s and 1970s, the Board of Geographic Names took action to eliminate the use of derogatory terms for Blacks and Japanese.There is legislation pending in Congress to address derogatory names on geographic features on public lands.

U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland on Friday declared "squaw" to be a derogatory term and said she is taking steps to remove the term from federal government use and to replace other derogatory place names.

Haaland is ordering a federal panel tasked with naming geographic places to implement procedures to remove what she called racist terms from federal use.

''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," Haaland said in a statement. "Today's actions will accelerate an important process to reconcile derogatory place names and mark a significant step in honouring the ancestors who have stewarded our lands since time immemorial." The first Native American to hold a cabinet position, Haaland is from Laguna Pueblo in New Mexico.

Under Haaland's order, a federal task force will find replacement names for geographic features on federal lands bearing the term "squaw," which has been used as a slur, particularly for Indigenous women. A database maintained by the Board on Geographic Names shows there are currently more than 650 federal sites with names that contain the term.

The task force will be made up of representatives from federal land management agencies and experts with the Interior Department. Tribal consultation and public feedback will be part of the process.

The process for changing U.S. place names can take years and federal officials said there are currently hundreds of proposed name changes pending before the board.

Haaland also called for the creation of an advisory committee to solicit, review and recommend changes to other derogatory geographic and federal place names. That panel will be made up of tribal representatives and civil rights, anthropology and history experts.

In the 1960s and 1970s, the Board of Geographic Names took action to eliminate the use of derogatory terms for Blacks and Japanese.

There is legislation pending in Congress to address derogatory names on geographic features on public lands. States from Oregon to Maine have passed legislation prohibiting the use of the word "squaw" in place names.

In 2020, the Phoenix City Council voted unanimously to rename Squaw Peak Drive to Piestewa Peak Drive, in honor of fallen Native American soldier Lori Piestewa, after it was decried as a demeaning and degrading word.

The move came after the council approved a measure that would give the city the right to re-name derogatory street names without residents' consent.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)