Dozens of sites on federal lands in Arizona that include the use of the slur “squaw” will be renamed in September.
The U.S. Department of the Interior is in the final stages of renaming more than 660 towns, lakes, rivers and creeks with the derogatory word in its name, including 66 in Arizona.
Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland declared the term derogatory last year. The term has historically been used as an offensive ethnic, racial and sexist slur, particularly for Indigenous women.
One site in Mohave County site will retain its name for now. It’s not clear why it was not included.
Next, a task force will provide replacement name recommendations to the U.S. Board on Geographic Names. The board is set to vote on the name change recommendations in September.
Haaland said she looks forward to the vote and to implementing the changes “as soon as is reasonable.”