U.S. to Rename Hundreds of Landmarks That Include the Term ‘Squaw’

The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) proposed a list of new names for more than 660 geographic features across the country last month, the agency announced in a statement. The large list of rivers, mountains and other landmarks contain the term “squaw”, which has been deemed a “derogatory term” towards Native American women by a federal task force. The U.S. is now set to rename all federal geographic landmarks that include the term.

The effort is being led by U.S. Secretary of The Interior, Deb Haaland, who is Native American. In February 2022, the department released its plan to remove the “racist and misogynist” slur “squaw” from national geographic landmarks.

“Words matter, particularly in our work to make our nation’s public lands and waters accessible and welcoming to people of all backgrounds,” Haaland said in a statement. “Consideration of these replacements is a big step forward in our efforts to remove derogatory terms whose expiration dates are long overdue.”