Biden Admin Proposes New Names for Hundreds of Locations with ‘Derogatory’ Names

Federal officials have come up with a list of potential replacement names for hundreds of geographic features in three dozen states that include the word “squaw,” kicking off a public comment period that will run through late April.

U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland in November formally declared the term derogatory and initiated a process to remove the word from use by the federal government and to replace other existing derogatory place names.

“Consideration of these replacements is a big step forward in our efforts to remove derogatory terms whose expiration dates are long overdue,” she said. “Throughout this process, broad engagement with tribes, stakeholders and the general public will help us advance our goals of equity and inclusion.”

The agency is planning three virtual meetings to consult with tribes in March. Written comments will be accepted through April 24.

As part of the process, the U.S. Geological Survey came up with five candidate names for each feature. The list includes more than 660 sites in New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, California, Idaho and many other states.

In the 1960s and 1970s, the Board on Geographic Names took action to eliminate the use of derogatory terms related to black and Japanese people. Over the past two decades, the board has received 261 proposals to replace geographic features with squaw in the name, according to the Interior Department.

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