And now:Ish <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
Place names ought never insult
people
From both sides Does changing offensive old terms distort
history?
http://www.spokane.net/news-story.asp?date=021999&ID=s533710&cat=section.tri
bal_news -
``Nothing endures but change,'' wrote the Greek philosopher,
Heraclitus, born in 540 B.C.
Throughout the ages, the names of places have changed
along with the people themselves. Wars erupted and victors
renamed the cities they conquered. Explorers discovered
ageless peaks, disregarded native names and christened
those mountains in honor of their own dead heroes.
Place names have always changed. Now, those which offend
American Indians must be altered.
In this decade, Indian women want to remove the word
``squaw'' from the names of American lakes, rivers and
mountains. Indeed, it's time for that word to go. When the
Montana House voted 92 to 8 last weekend supporting a bill
to remove that word from all state-owned sites, many
representatives stood and applauded. The bill had been
sponsored by Rep. Carol Juneau, one of four American
Indian members of that Legislature.
To many Indian women, this word is one of the ugliest slurs a
woman can hear -- a term for female genitalia that connotes
both promiscuity and degradation.
The Montana bill is only a small part of a larger national
trend
to change offensive place names. In the Inland Northwest,
the Washington State Board on Geographic Names is
gradually working to address the issue as well. Already, the
board has approved a plan to change the name of Squaw
Creek near Yakima to an Indian name, Lmuma, which means
old woman.
Of the 33 geographic features in the state of Washington
that bear this name, surely the worst example has to be
Squaw Tit Hill, also near Yakima. The state board is in the
process of changing that name to another word favored by
the local tribe, P'ushtay, which means red peak. As the state
board replaces offensive names, it looks for new words that
reflect both Indian and pioneer history and culture. This
evolution does not detract from, but rather enhances, our
efforts to learn from the past.
Let history books reflect that in the 1990s, civilization
progressed. Americans are now discovering they can heal
old wounds by enlarging their capacity for empathy. With the
change of these names, we do not alter our past but instead
improve our future.
Jamie Tobias Neely/Staff writer
MORE:
Montana measure would ban `squaw'
in state names
Associated Press -
HELENA _ The word ``squaw,'' offensive to some people,
would be removed gradually from names of state-owned sites
under a bill the Montana House supported overwhelmingly
Saturday.
Representatives voted 92-8 for the bill sponsored by Rep.
Carol Juneau, D-Browning, and many stood in applause
afterward. A final House vote that is largely a formality is
Monday.
Juneau, one of four American Indians in the 150-member
Legislature, said ``squaw'' is a derogatory word used in
referring to Indian woman, and is interpreted by some people
as a reference to female genitalia.
The word is in dozens of place names across Montana,
including creeks, valleys and mountains.
``I believe it will begin a healing process in the
relationship
between the tribal nations of the state of Montana, and the
state,'' Juneau said in urging support for House Bill 412.
The bill requires that state agencies prepare lists of places
with ``squaw'' in their names and come up with other names.
The new names would take effect gradually, in the routine
updating of maps and replacement of signs.
What are your thoughts on
Montana measure would ban `squaw'
in state names
Go to the URL above to enter your comments on this issue....
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Tsonkwadiyonrat (We are ONE Spirit)
Unenh onhwa' Awayaton
http://www.tdi.net/ishgooda/
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