This Ethnic Slur Will Officially Disappear From the Landscape

American authorities intend to remove one racist and misogynist word from national geographic landscapes as a gesture toward healing historic wounds while bringing to the forefront Native American history.

“Words matter, particularly in our work to make our nation’s public lands and waters accessible and welcoming to people of all backgrounds,” says U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, the first Native American to serve as cabinet secretary. “Consideration of these replacements is a big step forward in our efforts to remove derogatory terms whose expiration dates are long overdue.”

Some 660 geographic features such as mountains, rivers, lakes, and remote islands will be given new names to remove the slur “squaw” that “perpetuate and allow for violence” against Indigenous women. In the meantime, as “squaw” has been officially declared a derogatory term, it has been replaced by “sq_ _ _” in all communications. The Derogatory Geographic Names Task Force — made of 13 members from the National Park Service, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and other governmental agencies — is gathering feedback from Native American tribes and members of the public regarding the five suggestions made for each geographic site. The states of Maine and Oregon have already banned the slur, and California intends to replace the word in place names and geographic features across its territory by January 1, 2024.