This BS was previously well toasted at http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/fr/633038/posts
Posted on 02/22/2002 10:09:05 AM PST by Notforprophet
How political correctness let loose the moose
Oliver Burkeman in New York
Friday February 22, 2002
The Guardian
With five different places called Moose Pond, a Moose Cove, Moose Island, several Moose Creeks and a village called Moosehead, all on the shores of Moosehead Lake, it has always been rather too easy for the inexperienced visitor to get seriously lost in Piscataquis county, a thickly forested outpost of north-western Maine. Now, though, it is even easier.
Compelled by a statewide law to change every place name containing the word "squaw", because it is considered offensive to native Americans, reluctant officials in the county decided to substitute every instance with a single alternative. Unfortunately, the word they chose was "moose".
Which is why there are now places in Piscataquis county called Moose Bay, Moose Brook, Little Moose Brook, Little Moose Pond, Big Moose Pond, Big Moose Mountain, Little Moose Township, Moose Point, and a mountain officially known as Moose Bosom.
The United States board on geographic names is threatening to withhold approval of the changes, and has given the county until next month to reconsider its decision.
"Duplicate names do exist in many forms around the country, but the board doesn't like to approve new names that will create duplicates," the board's chief executive, Roger Payne, said. "We've asked the county to reconfirm that it really intends to do this, and that all interested parties, especially indigenous peoples in the county, have had a chance to comment."
"Squaw [is] a corruption of a longer native word, otsikwaw, which referred to a female body part," according to Donald Soctomah, the state representative for the Passamaquoddy tribe in Maine.
"To native females, this word continues to be a slanderous attack against them and their culture... It is hard for the general population to imagine how hurtful a word can be unless it is directed at them, their culture or racial background."
According to the American Indian Movement, the word squaw as a derivative of otsikwaw is an insult referring to the vagina. It has also been used as a slang term for prostitute.
Another Maine tribe, the Penobscot, had to change the name of one of its own properties, White Squaw Island. It is now called No Name Island.
Similar legislation in Minnesota took years to enact because local authorities who objected tried to replace Squaw Creek and Squaw Bay with the names Politically Correct Creek and Politically Correct Bay.
"Everywhere handles it in a different way," said Mr Payne, a little ruefully.
Damn - no THAT'S funny!...LMAO.
A. Cricket
Apparently renaming petitions worked at one point, because it was once known as 'Squaw's Tit Peak.'
Now why would they object to that? Are multi-cultist bureaucrats now a protected group too?
This BS was previously well toasted at http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/fr/633038/posts
If any FReeper could provide a link we could all have a good laugh.
What the heck is a "United States Board on Geographic Names"? Is there NOTHING the federal government doesn't try to regulate?
Itself.
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