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California/Nevada Squaw Valley to discuss removing slur against Native Americans from California resort’s name.

fatbob

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Nov 12, 2015
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You‘d have to ask Native Americans. All I have to go on is from the Native Americans that told me the term squaw is derogatory/demeaning. And there are numerous references in print and online that say that as well. Clearly it’s offensive to numerous people. Why take a chance?


Ah got you, sorry misread your syntax - thought you were suggesting that well meaning people were agonising about Squaw when it may not be a big deal. I'm inclined to go with the assume it is a big deal until enough people who matter tell you it isn't.
 

djetok

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Oct 1, 2017
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Edmond, OK
I looked around, and I couldn’t find information on the person Claiborn that wrote that passage, but there’s a better than good chance he was a white guy, and it was written some time ago. I’m not sure that quoting what white guys some time ago on a website indicates current acceptance of the term squaw.

edit to add:

Well, if you never take issue with ANYONE, not many wrongs will be corrected. Amiright?
That is from the Choctaw Nations website - I think I will trust the views on what Claiborn wrote. They did publish it to the Website after all.
I looked around, and I couldn’t find information on the person Claiborn that wrote that passage, but there’s a better than good chance he was a white guy, and it was written some time ago. I’m not sure that quoting what white guys some time ago on a website indicates current acceptance of the term squaw.

edit to add:

Well, if you never take issue with ANYONE, not many wrongs will be corrected. Amiright?


If you take issue with everything and everyone. At what point do you look yourself in the mirror and judge yourself. I try to be a good person and walk the footsteps of Jesus Christ. We have a lack of acceptance and cannot get past the fact that everyone is your brother and sister
 
Last edited:

James

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Joined
Dec 2, 2015
Posts
24,453
Plenty of native feminist theories tie ‘squaw’ into mistreatment, abuse, and disrespect of native women.
Call me dubious about that passage from the Choctaw page. Sounds like it was written by a white story teller or “historian”. That page starts off with a passage from “our anonymous French authority” (missionary?)

There’s more precedence for the removal of the name ‘squaw’ besides Arizona. In 2015, Buffalo, NY renamed Squaw Island after the proposal was brought up to the City Council.

Here are some comments that appeared in the press-
————————
Among the speakers in the public hearing period was Seneca Nation president Maurice John, who pointed out that he served proudly in the U.S. military earlier in his life.

But it was from the U.S. military, he said, where the derogatory term "squaw" came to life. He wouldn't even use the word, referring to it only as "the 's' word."

"The same army that represents us today at one time treated Indians unfairly," John said.

"They used to capture Indian women and use them for their own purposes. That was the beginning of the 's' word. How do you think it makes us feel?"
————————————


Chief Hill asks Mayor Brown to support renaming of Squaw Island
Buffalo Rising December 11, 2014

The most populous Indian Nation in Canada is within earshot of Buffalo, and its head of government is now asking Mayor Byron Brown to support the efforts of Jodi Lynn Maracle and Agnes Williams to remove the slur “Squaw” from the island that sits between the United States and Canada...

From the letter-

The continued use and acceptance of the word “Squaw” only perpetuates the idea that indigenous women, children, and culture can be deemed as impure, sexually perverse, barbaric, and dirty. The usage of derogatory slurs like “Squaw” and the depiction of Native women in historical and contemporary popular culture as being promiscuous and savage has created a dangerous mindset in which our women continue to be victimized...

Please do eliminate the slur “Squaw” from your community.
———————————
www.buffalorising.com/2014/12/chief-hill-asks-mayor-brown-to-support-renaming-of-squaw-island/
 

Average Joe

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I’m very amused that the linked article by Marge Bruchac that you say is well researched doesn’t have any references listed. If I were to take the sort-of-ad-hominem approach you took about Wikipedia, then I’d have issues with that article.
That's because Marge would be considered a primary source. If you don’t think that her credentials would qualify her to write a history of the origin of the word “Squaw” without relying on other people’s work, consider her resume:


Dr. Margaret M. Bruchac - Academic Degrees & Appointments, Fellowships, Museum Consulting

A CADEMIC DEGREES
2007: Ph.D. in Anthropology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA
2003: Master’s Degree in Cultural Anthropology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA
1999: BA in Theater and History, Smith Scholar, Smith College, Northampton, MA

P H.D. DISSERTATION
“Historical Erasure and Cultural Recovery: Indigenous People in the Connecticut River Valley”

M ASTERS' PROJECT
“Earthshapers and Placemakers: Algonkian Indian Stories and the Landscape"

R ESEARCH AND TEACHING INTERESTS
Native American Studies (material culture, history, folklore, language, sovereignty)
American Studies (colonial encounters, conflict, gender relations, human rights)
Cultural Performance (performance art, ritual dance, oral traditions, music)
Indigenous Archaeologies (cultural landscapes, material analysis, historical erasure)
Museum Anthropology (collection, representation, cultural property, repatriation)

A CADEMIC APPOINTMENTS
2013 - present: Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Associate Faculty in the Penn Cultural Heritage Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.
2008 - 2012: Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Coordinator of Native American & Indigenous Studies , University of Connecticut at Storrs and Avery Point, CT.
2008: Visiting Lecturer, American Studies Department, Tufts University, Medford, MA.
2007: McLellan Distinguished Visiting Professor in North Country History and Culture, History Department, State University of New York, Plattsburgh, NY.
2006-2007: Teaching Associate, Social Thought and Political Economy Program, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA.
2006: Adjunct Faculty, English Department, Keene State College, Keene, NH.
2006: Visiting Lecturer, Anthropology Department, Smith College Northampton, MA.
2005: Teaching Associate, Anthropology Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA.
2005: Five College Fellow, Anthropology Department, Amherst College, Amherst, MA.
2001 - 2002: Teaching Assistant, Anthropology Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA.
2000: Teaching Assistant, Anthropology Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA.

P ROFESSIONAL AWARDS, FELLOWSHIPS & ARTISTIC RESIDENCIES
2016-2017: Faculty Career Enhancement Fellowship, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and Woodrow Wilson Foundation, Princeton, NJ.
2015-2017. University Research Foundation, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
2011-2012: Katrin H. Lamon Scholar in Residence Fellowship, School for Advanced Research, Santa Fe, NM.
2011-2012: Ford Foundation Fellowship for Excellence in College and University Teaching, National Research Council of the National Academies, Washington, DC.
2011: Phillips Fund for Native American Research Fellowship, American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia, PA.
2010: Franklin Library Resident Research Fellowship, American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia, PA.
2009: Writer in Residence for Wabanaki Writers Project, sponsored by the Penobscot Nation, and the Maine Writing Project at the University of Maine College of Education and Human Development, Orono, ME.
2007: Finalist for Distinguished Teaching Award, Office of the Provost, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA.
2007: McLellan Distinguished Visiting Professorship in North Country History and Culture, History Department, State University of New York, Plattsburgh, NY
2006 - 2007: Visiting Indigenous Fellow and Native American Liaison, History Department and Folklore Department, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA.
2006: Aesop Award for Malian’s Song, American Folklore Society, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH.
2004 - 2005: Five College Minority Dissertation Fellowship, Anthropology Department, Amherst College, and Five Colleges, Inc., Amherst, MA .
2004: Storyteller of the Year: Academic Writing Award for "Earthshapers and Placemakers" Masters Project, Wordcraft Circle of Native American Writers & Storytellers.
2002 - 2004: Two Graduate School Fellowships, Anthropology Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA.
2002: Storyteller of the Year: Historical Writing Award for "1621: A New Look at Thanksgiving," Wordcraft Circle of Native American Writers & Storytellers.
2000: European Studies Grant for Field Research in the Netherlands, European Studies Program, Anthropology Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA.
2001: Performing Artist in Residence for play, "Giving Thanks," directed by Elizabeth Theobald, Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center, Ledyard, CT.
1999 - 2000: Sylvia Forman Scholarship for Minorities, Anthropology Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA.
1999: Jeanne McFarland Women’s History Award for "The Female Soldier on Stage: Deborah Sampson," Women’s History Department, Smith College, Northampton, MA.
1998 - 1999: Two Five College Theater Awards for "Staging the Indian" and "molly has her say," Five College Theater Departments, Five Colleges Inc., Amherst, MA.
1998 - 1999: Bay State Historical League Scholar in Residence, Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, Deerfield, MA.
1998: Jeanne McFarland Women’s History Award for "Mohegan Women and Cultural Expression," Women’s History Department, Smith College, Northampton, MA.

C ONSULTING WORK FOR HISTORICAL MUSEUMS (partial list)
2016: Exhibition consultant for "Gathering Voices: Thomas Jefferson and Native America." American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia, PA.
2014: Exhibition consultant for "Native American Voices: The People - Here and Now." Penn Museum, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.
2006 - 2007: Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance & New England Foundation for the Arts, Boston, MA. Planning committee, “Native Arts Initiative” funded by the Ford Foundation IllumiNation Program.
2006: Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center, Mashantucket, CT. Exhibition consultant for “Baskets and Community in Southern New England” for Curator Stephen Cook.
2005: Historic Deerfield, Deerfield, MA. Writer for walking tour text, “Pocumtuck Homeland” for Education Program Coordinator Claire Carlson.
2004: Historic Deerfield Inc. and Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, Deerfield, MA. Native American liaison and performer for “1704/2004 Commemoration” and “Beyond 1704” for Philip Zea, President of HD, and Timothy Neumann, Executive Director of PVMA.
2003: Historic Deerfield and Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, Deerfield, MA. Exhibition consultant for “Remembering 1704: Context and Commemoration, Raid on Deerfield” for Curators Suzanne Flynt, Angela Goebel-Bain, Jessica Neuwirth, and Amanda Rivera-Lopez.
2002 - 2005: Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, Deerfield, MA. Writer, advisor, and reviewer for "Raid on Deerfield: The Many Voices of 1704" web site.
2001: Robert Abbé Museum, Bar Harbor, ME. Exhibition consultant for “Four Mollys: Women of the Dawn” for Curator Bunny McBride.
1999: Old Sturbridge Village, Sturbridge, MA. Exhibition consultant for “Enduring Americans: American Indian Presence” for Curator Edward Hood.
1999: Robert S. Peabody Museum, Phillips Academy, Andover, MA. Exhibition reviewer for “Mikwitemanej Mikmanaqi’k” for Curator Leah Rosenmeier.
1999: Old Sturbridge Village, Sturbridge, MA. Exhibition consultant for “Medicine in Nineteenth-Century New England” for Curator Nan Wolverton.
1999: Worcester Historical Museum, Worcester, MA. Exhibition consultant for “Presence and Persistence: Nipmuc Indians” for Curator Holly Izard.
1997 - present: Old Sturbridge Village, Sturbridge, MA. Historical interpreter for more than 400 performances as “Molly Geet, the Indian Doctress” and staff training for “Interpreting Diversity and Prejudice in Nineteenth Century New England.”

P ROFESSIONAL & COMMUNITY SERVICE
2009 - 2016: Secretary, Council for Museum Anthropology, American Anthropological Association
2007 - 2009: Board of Trustees, Plimoth Plantation, Plymouth, MA
2004 - 2007: Board of Trustees, Fort Ticonderoga, Ticonderoga, NY
2003 - 2010: Five College Repatriation Committee Research Liaison, Amherst, MA
2003 - present: Indigenous Archaeology Advisory Board, World Archaeology Congress
2001 - 2009: University of Massachusetts Anthropology Department Repatriation Committee, Amherst, MA
1998 - 2009: Advisory Board, Wampanoag Indigenous Program, Plimoth Plantation, Plymouth, MA
1998 - 2009: Board of Trustees, Historic Northampton, Northampton, MA
1995 - 2008: Five College Native American Indian Studies Curriculum Committee, Amherst, MA

 

Wilhelmson

Making fresh tracks
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Posts
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Plenty of native feminist theories tie ‘squaw’ into mistreatment, abuse, and disrespect of native women.
Call me dubious about that passage from the Choctaw page. Sounds like it was written by a white story teller or “historian”. That page starts off with a passage from “our anonymous French authority” (missionary?)

There’s more precedence for the removal of the name ‘squaw’ besides Arizona. In 2015, Buffalo, NY renamed Squaw Island after the proposal was brought up to the City Council.

Here are some comments that appeared in the press-
————————
Among the speakers in the public hearing period was Seneca Nation president Maurice John, who pointed out that he served proudly in the U.S. military earlier in his life.

But it was from the U.S. military, he said, where the derogatory term "squaw" came to life. He wouldn't even use the word, referring to it only as "the 's' word."

"The same army that represents us today at one time treated Indians unfairly," John said.

"They used to capture Indian women and use them for their own purposes. That was the beginning of the 's' word. How do you think it makes us feel?"
————————————


Chief Hill asks Mayor Brown to support renaming of Squaw Island
Buffalo Rising December 11, 2014

The most populous Indian Nation in Canada is within earshot of Buffalo, and its head of government is now asking Mayor Byron Brown to support the efforts of Jodi Lynn Maracle and Agnes Williams to remove the slur “Squaw” from the island that sits between the United States and Canada...

From the letter-

The continued use and acceptance of the word “Squaw” only perpetuates the idea that indigenous women, children, and culture can be deemed as impure, sexually perverse, barbaric, and dirty. The usage of derogatory slurs like “Squaw” and the depiction of Native women in historical and contemporary popular culture as being promiscuous and savage has created a dangerous mindset in which our women continue to be victimized...

Please do eliminate the slur “Squaw” from your community.
———————————
www.buffalorising.com/2014/12/chief-hill-asks-mayor-brown-to-support-renaming-of-squaw-island/

But was Chief Hill really of Native American descent? Kidding
 

LiquidFeet

instructor
Instructor
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
6,697
Location
New England
That's because Marge would be considered a primary source. If you don’t think that her credentials would qualify her to write a history of the origin of the word “Squaw” without relying on other people’s work, consider her resume:


Dr. Margaret M. Bruchac - Academic Degrees & Appointments, Fellowships, Museum Consulting

A CADEMIC DEGREES
2007: Ph.D. in Anthropology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA
2003: Master’s Degree in Cultural Anthropology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA
1999: BA in Theater and History, Smith Scholar, Smith College, Northampton, MA

P H.D. DISSERTATION
“Historical Erasure and Cultural Recovery: Indigenous People in the Connecticut River Valley”

M ASTERS' PROJECT
“Earthshapers and Placemakers: Algonkian Indian Stories and the Landscape"

R ESEARCH AND TEACHING INTERESTS
Native American Studies (material culture, history, folklore, language, sovereignty)
American Studies (colonial encounters, conflict, gender relations, human rights)
Cultural Performance (performance art, ritual dance, oral traditions, music)
Indigenous Archaeologies (cultural landscapes, material analysis, historical erasure)
Museum Anthropology (collection, representation, cultural property, repatriation)

A CADEMIC APPOINTMENTS
2013 - present: Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Associate Faculty in the Penn Cultural Heritage Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.
2008 - 2012: Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Coordinator of Native American & Indigenous Studies , University of Connecticut at Storrs and Avery Point, CT.
2008: Visiting Lecturer, American Studies Department, Tufts University, Medford, MA.
2007: McLellan Distinguished Visiting Professor in North Country History and Culture, History Department, State University of New York, Plattsburgh, NY.
2006-2007: Teaching Associate, Social Thought and Political Economy Program, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA.
2006: Adjunct Faculty, English Department, Keene State College, Keene, NH.
2006: Visiting Lecturer, Anthropology Department, Smith College Northampton, MA.
2005: Teaching Associate, Anthropology Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA.
2005: Five College Fellow, Anthropology Department, Amherst College, Amherst, MA.
2001 - 2002: Teaching Assistant, Anthropology Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA.
2000: Teaching Assistant, Anthropology Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA.

P ROFESSIONAL AWARDS, FELLOWSHIPS & ARTISTIC RESIDENCIES
2016-2017: Faculty Career Enhancement Fellowship, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and Woodrow Wilson Foundation, Princeton, NJ.
2015-2017. University Research Foundation, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
2011-2012: Katrin H. Lamon Scholar in Residence Fellowship, School for Advanced Research, Santa Fe, NM.
2011-2012: Ford Foundation Fellowship for Excellence in College and University Teaching, National Research Council of the National Academies, Washington, DC.
2011: Phillips Fund for Native American Research Fellowship, American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia, PA.
2010: Franklin Library Resident Research Fellowship, American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia, PA.
2009: Writer in Residence for Wabanaki Writers Project, sponsored by the Penobscot Nation, and the Maine Writing Project at the University of Maine College of Education and Human Development, Orono, ME.
2007: Finalist for Distinguished Teaching Award, Office of the Provost, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA.
2007: McLellan Distinguished Visiting Professorship in North Country History and Culture, History Department, State University of New York, Plattsburgh, NY
2006 - 2007: Visiting Indigenous Fellow and Native American Liaison, History Department and Folklore Department, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA.
2006: Aesop Award for Malian’s Song, American Folklore Society, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH.
2004 - 2005: Five College Minority Dissertation Fellowship, Anthropology Department, Amherst College, and Five Colleges, Inc., Amherst, MA .
2004: Storyteller of the Year: Academic Writing Award for "Earthshapers and Placemakers" Masters Project, Wordcraft Circle of Native American Writers & Storytellers.
2002 - 2004: Two Graduate School Fellowships, Anthropology Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA.
2002: Storyteller of the Year: Historical Writing Award for "1621: A New Look at Thanksgiving," Wordcraft Circle of Native American Writers & Storytellers.
2000: European Studies Grant for Field Research in the Netherlands, European Studies Program, Anthropology Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA.
2001: Performing Artist in Residence for play, "Giving Thanks," directed by Elizabeth Theobald, Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center, Ledyard, CT.
1999 - 2000: Sylvia Forman Scholarship for Minorities, Anthropology Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA.
1999: Jeanne McFarland Women’s History Award for "The Female Soldier on Stage: Deborah Sampson," Women’s History Department, Smith College, Northampton, MA.
1998 - 1999: Two Five College Theater Awards for "Staging the Indian" and "molly has her say," Five College Theater Departments, Five Colleges Inc., Amherst, MA.
1998 - 1999: Bay State Historical League Scholar in Residence, Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, Deerfield, MA.
1998: Jeanne McFarland Women’s History Award for "Mohegan Women and Cultural Expression," Women’s History Department, Smith College, Northampton, MA.

C ONSULTING WORK FOR HISTORICAL MUSEUMS (partial list)
2016: Exhibition consultant for "Gathering Voices: Thomas Jefferson and Native America." American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia, PA.
2014: Exhibition consultant for "Native American Voices: The People - Here and Now." Penn Museum, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.
2006 - 2007: Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance & New England Foundation for the Arts, Boston, MA. Planning committee, “Native Arts Initiative” funded by the Ford Foundation IllumiNation Program.
2006: Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center, Mashantucket, CT. Exhibition consultant for “Baskets and Community in Southern New England” for Curator Stephen Cook.
2005: Historic Deerfield, Deerfield, MA. Writer for walking tour text, “Pocumtuck Homeland” for Education Program Coordinator Claire Carlson.
2004: Historic Deerfield Inc. and Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, Deerfield, MA. Native American liaison and performer for “1704/2004 Commemoration” and “Beyond 1704” for Philip Zea, President of HD, and Timothy Neumann, Executive Director of PVMA.
2003: Historic Deerfield and Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, Deerfield, MA. Exhibition consultant for “Remembering 1704: Context and Commemoration, Raid on Deerfield” for Curators Suzanne Flynt, Angela Goebel-Bain, Jessica Neuwirth, and Amanda Rivera-Lopez.
2002 - 2005: Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, Deerfield, MA. Writer, advisor, and reviewer for "Raid on Deerfield: The Many Voices of 1704" web site.
2001: Robert Abbé Museum, Bar Harbor, ME. Exhibition consultant for “Four Mollys: Women of the Dawn” for Curator Bunny McBride.
1999: Old Sturbridge Village, Sturbridge, MA. Exhibition consultant for “Enduring Americans: American Indian Presence” for Curator Edward Hood.
1999: Robert S. Peabody Museum, Phillips Academy, Andover, MA. Exhibition reviewer for “Mikwitemanej Mikmanaqi’k” for Curator Leah Rosenmeier.
1999: Old Sturbridge Village, Sturbridge, MA. Exhibition consultant for “Medicine in Nineteenth-Century New England” for Curator Nan Wolverton.
1999: Worcester Historical Museum, Worcester, MA. Exhibition consultant for “Presence and Persistence: Nipmuc Indians” for Curator Holly Izard.
1997 - present: Old Sturbridge Village, Sturbridge, MA. Historical interpreter for more than 400 performances as “Molly Geet, the Indian Doctress” and staff training for “Interpreting Diversity and Prejudice in Nineteenth Century New England.”

P ROFESSIONAL & COMMUNITY SERVICE
2009 - 2016: Secretary, Council for Museum Anthropology, American Anthropological Association
2007 - 2009: Board of Trustees, Plimoth Plantation, Plymouth, MA
2004 - 2007: Board of Trustees, Fort Ticonderoga, Ticonderoga, NY
2003 - 2010: Five College Repatriation Committee Research Liaison, Amherst, MA
2003 - present: Indigenous Archaeology Advisory Board, World Archaeology Congress
2001 - 2009: University of Massachusetts Anthropology Department Repatriation Committee, Amherst, MA
1998 - 2009: Advisory Board, Wampanoag Indigenous Program, Plimoth Plantation, Plymouth, MA
1998 - 2009: Board of Trustees, Historic Northampton, Northampton, MA
1995 - 2008: Five College Native American Indian Studies Curriculum Committee, Amherst, MA

Well. That's quite conclusive.
 

Wasatchman

over the hill
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Posts
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Location
Wasatch and NZ
I just made a donation to a Utah Indian tribe. I don't say this expecting any kind of medal from people here on pugski, but rather to make a point that sometimes some good can come out of the conversation. The whole topic got me thinking how badly Native Americans have been screwed over, and prompted me to make a donation. Wouldn't have happened otherwise, cause generally I'm a bit of a miserly SOB.
 

James

Out There
Instructor
Joined
Dec 2, 2015
Posts
24,453
Edit to add, this well researched piece adds context to the discussion:
Reclaiming the Word "Squaw"
And I'm not arguing to use words like squaw in everyday language or conversation, I'm just trying to point out that it's historical context has probably evolved , and that the current lens of history is a poor way to filter. We don't refer to any contemporary Native American with, unless they maintain the title or description, the way that the Europeans translated. But we use these translations in everyday language- and it's not because we are racist or sexist. Police Chief. Fire chief. Chief of Staff.... the list can go on and on.
She doesn’t deal with the South or Western Indians vs white expansionists. I suspect everything changed in the 19th Century. She’s really only referencing the Algonquin.

Her swastika example is good one. Everything changed after the 1930’s. So it may be with squaw.
So, pretty incomplete history for a historian. And, she’s not a primary source. She didn’t get her phd that way. That may get tricky if there’s no written Algonquin language/history.
She’s referencing her Indian heritage, not academic credentials.
 

pais alto

me encanta el país alto
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^ This
 

raytseng

Making fresh tracks
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SF Bay Area
@Average Joe
I don't know why you're taking such a strong position, other than possibly being bored and wanting to a contrarian? Do you even ski there? You got a bunch of gear with "Squaw Valley" on it that you won't be able to wear anymore?

Why are you whiteknighting for this so much, and bending over backwards to defend Margaret M. Bruchac as to your moral authority when in her article she is 100% clear in a followup stating she is not opposed to changing place names anyway-referring to her example of the change for "Squaw Rock". So even she isn't against a name change, so don't understand this point in debating her credentials further (from both sides).
By way of explanation to readers, I wish to clarify my stance on the controversies regarding the use of the word "squaw." I have NEVER supported continued use of the word as a pejorative insult directed at Native women, and I am NOT opposed to the concept of changing place names.
Let's be honest for everyone, this has almost 0% personal impact to just about all ski guests; I don't understand the opposition except to be internet edgy and looking for validation for a pedantic point of fact that doesn't affect you.

Consider if the proposal was like "The Chamois is no longer allowed to serve alcohol" and you must go to a SquawValley-owned (or soon to be OlympicValley) concessionaire for beer, that would (and should?) produce more outrage and actual effect to guests than this topic
 
Last edited:

Tricia

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You‘d have to ask Native Americans. All I have to go on is from the Native Americans that told me the term squaw is derogatory/demeaning. And there are numerous references in print and online that say that as well. Clearly it’s offensive to numerous people. Why take a chance?
That has been my expereince the one time the subject came up with a Native American.
For me, its about respect.
 

James

Out There
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Joined
Dec 2, 2015
Posts
24,453
To be fair to her, I don’t think the piece was ever written as a history. Looks like she was either still an undergrad or just after. I think it was an idea, a possibility, an opinion piece. But a very narrow based opinion.
Judging by her follow up letter 2 years later, looks like she went skipping into a minefield throwing flowers.

That’s the problem with it, it’s very limited in scope and ignores a lot of ground. It was also 20 years ago. I wonder how she’d write it today.
 

Guy in Shorts

Tree Psycho
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Ski bums have replaced squaws as the primary valley poster child. They should pay homage to the newest locals. Ski Bum Valley would honor that new found spirit.
 

DanoT

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Meanwhile in Canada, the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League, after over a year of indecision have decided to drop the Eskimo name.

AFAIK historically, before the arrival of white explorers to Canada, "Eskimo" was a slur used by non Inuit Natives to describe their northern neighbours. Eskimo translates into "Eaters of raw meat". When the explorers arrived they picked up the name without even knowing it's meaning.

Edmonton is Canada's most northern city, so there is a natural connection to the Far North and most Inuit are fans of the Edmonton Eskimos. When the football team did community outreach and traveled to Nunavut they found very little opposition to the Eskimo name, other than Inuit leaders who were the ones wanting the name change.

So the Edmonton Football team did nothing until it became a topic in the news once again when the NFL's Washington team decided to change its name and the CFL's Edmonton team decided to do the same.

The team has not announced a new name but is going to keep their EE logo.
 

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