WASHINGTON, DC – Several federally owned landmarks in Massachusetts will be given new names after the U. S. Department of the Interior(The U. S. Food and Drug Administration said “squaw” is a derogatory term.
The list of 660 geographic sites released in February includes seven Massachusetts landmarks. In November, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland created a task force to name new lakes, streams and other sites on federal lands that use the word “squaw. “
The enforcement organization is comprised of representatives from federal land control agencies, as well as experts in diversity, equity, and inclusion within the department.
“Racist terms have no position in our vernacular or in our federal lands,” Haaland said in a news release. “Our nation’s lands and waters will be put to celebrate the outdoors and our shared cultural heritage, not to bring the legacy of oppression. “
Massachusetts landmarks in the include:
1) Squaw Island Marsh, Barnstable County. Proposed new names include Halls Creek, Hyannis Point, Sunset Hill, Schoolhouse Pond and Simmons Pond.
2) Squaw Island, Barnstable County. Proposed new names include Halls Creek, Sunset Hill, Schoolhouse Pond, Eddie Woods Rocks and Hyannis Port Beach.
3) Squaw Peak, Berkshire County. This site was renamed Peeskawso Peak in 2021 through The Trustees of Reservations, with input from stockbridge-Munsee Community Band of Mohicans.
4) Squawbetty Hill, Bristol County. Proposed new names include Taunton River, Cotley River, Richmond Pond, Barstows Pond and Deep Pond.
5) Squawkeag Historic Site, Franklin County. Proposed new names include the Montague Power Canal Reservoir, Connecticut River, Smead Island, Deerfield River, and Rawson Island.
6) Squaw Rock, Norfolk County. Proposed new names include Nickerson Beach, Chapel Rocks, Squantum Marshes, Squantum and Squantum Peninsula.
7) Squaw Swamp Historic Site, Plymouth County. Proposed new names include Bass Creek, Sagamore Beach, Peaked Cliff, Scusset River and Moss Hill.
Historically, the term “squaw” is used as a racial and sexist slur directly opposed to indigenous women.
The working group now accepts public comments on the proposed names before they go through the Geographic Names Board. Comments can be sent by mail and online.
The Native American Rights Fund applauded federal efforts to fight derogatory position names, saying the federal government’s action was long overdue.
“The names that still use derogatory terms are a shameful legacy of this country’s colonialist and racist past,” John Echohawk, the group’s executive director, told The Associated Press. “It’s the best time for us as a nation to move beyond those pejorative terms and show other indigenous people, and all other people, equivalent respect. “
Editor’s note: An earlier edition of this story did not come with the new call from Squaw Peak in Berkshire County. The site recalled in April 2021 through The Trustees of Reservations with the contribution of Stockbridge-Munsee Community Band of Mohicans.