California removes slur from state location names

Officers have authorized the elimination of the derogatory time period “squaw” from greater than 30 geographic options and place names on California lands, based on an announcement Friday by the state Pure Sources Company.

The motion stems from a invoice that Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into legislation in 2022, and follows the same transfer by the U.S. Division of the Inside, which mentioned “the time period has traditionally been used as an offensive ethnic, racial, and sexist slur, notably for Indigenous ladies.”

The California legislation, Meeting Invoice 2022, banned use of the phrase in future location names and ordered the assets company to start renaming all locations that used the time period, together with streets, bridges, public buildings, forest fireplace gas breaks and cemeteries.

For Deputy Secretary for Tribal Affairs on the Pure Useful resource Company Geneva Thompson — the primary official to carry the title and a member of the Cherokee Nation — it’s a significant step to heal centuries of hurt the state has inflicted on Indigenous folks.

“Acknowledging these historic wrongs that have been dedicated towards Native Individuals is extraordinarily essential, however we have to take the following step towards therapeutic,” Thompson mentioned. “Whereas there are variations amongst people, we are able to construct communities that replicate and honor and have a good time these variations as a substitute of alienating and perpetuating historic wrongs.”

The renaming will happen in early 2025. It comes on the heels of an order from U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland to rename any geographic options or location names on federal lands that use the time period, together with dozens in California.

The California Advisory Committee on Geographic Names, which the California Pure Sources Company oversees, scoured maps of California for any makes use of of the phrase beneath state jurisdiction, and the company partnered with native governments and Native tribes to pick new names.

In West Sacramento, an area public company labored intently with the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation to rename two streets.

The new name for the streets, “Tebti,” is a phrase and blessing that interprets to “the streams that movement collectively” — a reference to the Sacramento and American rivers, which take part West Sacramento.

One native official framed the brand new identify as a “present to the group,” Thompson mentioned.

“The Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation has led the hassle to alter demeaning mascot imagery of Native folks, and we assist changing derogatory names regionally and throughout state lands,” mentioned Anthony Roberts, tribal chairman of the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation, in an announcement saying the identify adjustments. “With continued session, tribes can lead initiatives to eradicate such phrases from California’s public locations.”

Some students consider the now-offensive time period originated from the Algonquin language, which was spoken by many tribes on the East Coast, and initially meant “girl,” however was later corrupted by European colonists.

“It’s a racial stereotype. At instances, it could possibly even be a manner of exerting hurt towards a person or a bunch of individuals,” mentioned Thompson. “You see that play out within the historical past of the state of California. You see this time period written in navy generals’ journals as a manner of othering Native ladies to justify violence that was dedicated towards them.”

AB 2022 was dropped at the ground by Assemblymember James Ramos (D-Highland), who grew to become the state’s first Native American lawmaker in 2018.

The phrase “denigrates Native American ladies and dehumanizes them,” Ramos mentioned in an announcement saying the identify adjustments.

“I consider that dehumanization has contributed to the Murdered and Lacking Indigenous Folks disaster that impacts all of our folks however that strikes ladies and ladies in disproportionate numbers,” he mentioned. “Not one among my colleagues within the legislature voted towards the invoice as a result of so many acknowledge this phrase shouldn’t be a spot identify that belongs in California.”