Renaming 'Squaw' Sites Proves Touchy in Oregon

NY Times ^ | Dec. 11, 2004 | ELI SANDERS

[Pharmboy]

Politically Correct Creek! Perfect...

[eclectic]

Many of the suggestions are hard for English speakers ... to pronounce, like "ixwutxp."

By mere linguistic coincidence, I am sure

[Pharmboy]

Hard to believe that that was easy to pronounce for anyone.

[eclectic]

That is very 'ethnocentric' of you to believe

[Batrachian]

The problem is that the left never quits. People can grab their cojones and say no, we're not renaming anything, but the left keeps nagging and bitching until people get sick of it and do what they want. The right has to go on the offensive and I know how.

Every time the left renames something politically correct, we find something else and rename that non politically correct.

They don't like Squaw Creek? They want to rename it Beautiful Creek? Fine. Rename it. We'll find something else and rename that. How about Dead Injun Peak, or Smallpox Blanket Valley? Custer Creek anyone? Anyone can play this game.

Let's have some ideas, everyone.

[eclectic]

They want to rename it Beautiful Creek

No, it is going to be 'Ixwutxp Creek'

[AntiGuv]

I like the "moose" solution myself..

[ken21]

this is a waste of elected officials' time. it's gone on all over the united states, recently arizona renamed a mountain.

meanwhile, female activists will be running to see the "vagina monologues". if "squaw" is so offensive, then why do the parade the worst english interpretation?

[southernerwithanattitude]

Thats it, just rename everything and erase all sign of American history {you'll feel better}. Gee Whiz these folks need a job or something to keep them busy.

[LibertarianInExile]

I like Koanalyws (KOWN-al-yews) Creek (Kiss Our Asses Native American Liberals, You Whiners SUCK!). Sounds sorta native, and you can spin it that way to the libs while telling everyone else what it stands for.

I always wanted to endow a chair at my old school but the dean I wanted to name it after left before I could do it. I don't think they'd have accepted a "Dean Jeffrey Lewis Sucks" professorial endowment anyway.

[sergeantdave]

I object to Ayayat Creek. Ayayat in Tibetan means "squaw."

[Smokin' Joe]

I smell lawyers feeding at the trough of 'political correctness' again...

[Smokin' Joe]

While we're at it, let's return the name of "Le Grande Tetons" to its English equivalent.

I suppose someone would really howl at that one.

[lepton]

"Squaw" originated in a branch of the Algonquin language, where it meant simply "woman," [...] In Maine, one frustrated county changed all "squaw" names to "moose"

So Indian women being referred to as Meeses is an improvement?

[lepton]

So the debate goes. Mr. Pitt of the Confederated Tribes dismisses those concerns as "ethnocentric," saying ease of pronunciation for English speakers is "not one of our criteria

No problem. You call it what you want, we'll call it what we want.

[lepton]

Actually, how about simply changing them all to "Indian Woman"

[Knitting A Conundrum]

I'm surprised, in this politically correct day and age, no one has tried to change the name of the Grand Tetons yet, since the name refers to a part of the female anatomy...

[reg45]

Considering all the complaining going on, I propose a simple and inexpensive solution. Change the word squaw to squawk by adding a K.

[Vor Lady]

I don't hear anyone rushing to change White Woman Creek's name....