Fifty place names in Utah use derogatory words like “squaw” says federal government

The federal government has identified over fifty place names in Utah that it says use derogatory terms toward Native Americans. And two federal orders were issued last month, that will work to change those names. 

The St. George News reports that one of the orders identified the term “squaw,” an offensive term for Native American women, used by at least three places in Utah.

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The other order created a Committee on Reconciliation in Place Names which will work to change derogatory place names. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland says the nation’s lands and waters should celebrate the outdoors and the country’s shared cultural heritage. She said names should not perpetuate what she called legacies of oppression.

The Deseret News reports that lawmakers in Utah passed similar legislation earlier this year.