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

[raisingarizona]

for another context one son in law says he is offended by the "Fighting Irish"
the other resents the British colonial domination of Quebec
while my wife is still hoping for a land claim on Vancouver Island
and personally I have always though my Viking ancestors have been far too frequently portrayed negatively.

not to make light of it but we are all evolving

I wonder how can we distinguish between things that are truly offensive and today’s culture of immediately pulling the victim card?

 

[markojp]

When I was growing up in Northern Michigan, the Obijwa Indian Tribe took Squaw as a slur. The explanation I got was that many women were captured and men were killed in battles against the indian tribes. When the women were captured they were turned into sex slaves to the white man and turned the name Squaw from being a term for woman or wife in Indian language to mean whore to white man.

Again, this was told to me by an indian in an area where I lived when I was young. Its possible that its not universal.

I grew up about an hour NW of Tricia. Never heard the word 'squaw' used, though knew what it meant from watching westerns. Oddly enough, we were taught quite a bit of native local history as part of MI history in 5th grade.

 

[markojp]

I wonder how can we distinguish between things that are truly offensive and today’s culture of immediately pulling the victim card?

F$^&& ing really?

 

[François Pugh]

Putting it in context, a few hundred years ago things were very different.

Talk about a class system! From my memory of what I've heard from those times (tried googling a reference, but apparently it's too sensitive a subject to find much data on google), not only were peasants beneath lords and ladies and "gentlemen" ranked above servants, royalty above serfs, etc. but if you were an Australian Aboriginal for example, or some other "savage", then you were less than human. It was perfectly acceptable and civilized to hunt you, kill you, stuff you and put you in a museum. Not surprising that in those times the "Indian" word for woman, "Squaw" meant "Indian" woman, and was used to distinguish a "squaw" from a woman, i.e. not a woman to them, but something less.

 

[karlo]

Not surprising that in those times the "Indian" word for woman, "Squaw" meant "Indian" woman, and was used to distinguish a "squaw" from a woman, i.e. not a woman to them, but something less

That’s a really good point. But, Squaw Valley means Native Less-than-human Woman Valley? Would be interesting to know the intent when the name was coined.

 

[markojp]

Putting it in context, a few hundred years ago things were very different.

Talk about a class system! From my memory of what I've heard from those times (tried googling a reference, but apparently it's too sensitive a subject to find much data on google), not only were peasants beneath lords and ladies and "gentlemen" ranked above servants, royalty above serfs, etc. but if you were an Australian Aboriginal for example, or some other "savage", then you were less than human. It was perfectly acceptable and civilized to hunt you, kill you, stuff you and put you in a museum. Not surprising that in those times the "Indian" word for woman, "Squaw" meant "Indian" woman, and was used to distinguish a "squaw" from a woman, i.e. not a woman to them, but something less.

But Francis, 'squaw' is an Algonquin word... wrong side of the continent. Seems to have migrated (edit...) west with white settlers.

 

[François Pugh]

You mean migrated west?

 

[BC.]

Heck, I known a lot of Navaho folks that wear shirts that say Savage on them.

I really don’t care what they call any ski mountain. It’s not worth my time but I do think that we are losing some of the “wild” in the western states with the moves to be more politically correct. I think it’s unfortunate to no longer have a route 666 or a Mary’s Nipple at the Ghee.

GT also has the Nasty Gash.....which will always be one of my favorite “areas”......

 

[Snowfan]

Just saw on the web Eskimo Pie's are history. This is getting ridiculous.

 

[markojp]

Just saw on the web Eskimo Pie's are history. This is getting ridiculous.

Maybe cracker barrel too.... Honestly, when's the last time anyone here has eaten an Eskimo Pie? Ok, time for bed.

 

[pchewn]

Just saw on the web Eskimo Pie's are history. This is getting ridiculous.

I don't just want this lift at Winter Park renamed, I demand it be removed!!!

 

[pchewn]

Is this trail name appropriate at Winter Park?

 

[markojp]

Heck, I known a lot of Navaho folks that wear shirts that say Savage on them.

I really don’t care what they call any ski mountain. It’s not worth my time but I do think that we are losing some of the “wild” in the western states with the moves to be more politically correct. I think it’s unfortunate to no longer have a route 666 or a Mary’s Nipple at the Ghee.

So if names change, topography/geography seem less 'wild'? Huh... what did that land do before we labelled it? Trying to wrap my head around that one.

 

[markojp]

You mean migrated west?

Edited...

 

[raisingarizona]

F$^&& ing really?

Absolutely. Deal with it buttercup.

 

[raisingarizona]

So if names change, topography/geography seem less 'wild'? Huh... what did that land do before we labelled it? Trying to wrap my head around that one.

It’s an attitude or perception. I personally feel like we should stop catering to the “I’m offended” crowd on things like this but hey, you do you bud.

 

[markojp]

It’s an attitude or perception. I personally feel like we should stop catering to the “I’m offended” crowd on things like this but hey, you do you bud.

To clarify, I'm not offended, I'm just chuckling and scratching my head trying to follow your thought process.

 

[Analisa]

@dbostedo The Washington Redskin polls are super controversial. The 2004 & 2016 study both allowed for self-identification as an AIAN (American-Indian, Alaska Native). Census data analysis shows that self-identification is strange for AIAN. Census language for AIAN is inclusive of all indigenous people of North and South America, meaning Hispanic Native populations where the "redskin" term isn't part of their heritage and colonialism wasn't quite as murderous. The Native population in the US is growing really quickly, but the growth is really coming from people also selecting Hispanic ethnicity (the number of AIANs co-selecting Hispanic/Latina jumped from 8.2% in 1990 to 23% in 2010).

There are more people who inconsistently choose AIAN from census to census than there are people who select it consistently. The "occasional" group includes a lot of people who had identified as White until getting into genealogy, taking a 23andMe, or straight up "ethnic shopping" for an identity they want to take.

Both of those groups are less likely to live on a reservation or in surrounding counties, belong to a tribe, and are starkly less likely to experience poverty, homelessness, dire medical insecurity, an violence at the hands of non-Natives.

CSUSB's Center for Indigenous People repeated the survey but limited it to respondents who could prove tribal membership (which requires traced lineage to the tribe's base roll and a certain blood quantum). 66% found it offensive, 18% did not, with the remainder undecided. The "minority" that find it offensive are the people and descendants who were directly called the term.

 

[karlo]

The 2004 & 2016 study both allowed for self-identification as an AIAN (American-Indian, Alaska Native). Census data analysis shows that self-identification is strange for AIAN.

The "occasional" group includes a lot of people who had identified as White until getting into genealogy, taking a 23andMe, or straight up "ethnic shopping" for an identity they want to take.

Or, until applying to higher education

 

[François Pugh]

Inequality between sexes thing is that here in Ontario Canada at one time, lineage had to be from father, not mother. I don't know if that's still the case. If your great grandfather on your father's father's side was native (not sure if that's the correct term, but you know what I mean), you were native, If your great grandmother was (as mine was), then you were not.