How political correctness let loose the moose

Even the reliably liberal Cecil Adams says it is NOT a name for a female body part. See: http://www.straightdope.com/columns/000317.html:

The idea that squaw means vagina (to use the polite term) first found its way into print in a polemical 1973 book, Literature of the American Indian, by Thomas E. Sanders and Walter W. Peek. Sanders and Peek, without offering evidence, advanced the theory that squaw derived from the Mohawk word ojiskwa' (sources vary on spelling), meaning vagina. This notion appealed to a certain mind-set and was circulated widely in the activist community. In 1992 it was revealed to the world at large on Oprah by Native American spokesperson Suzan Harjo: "The word squaw is an Algonquin [sic] Indian word meaning vagina, and that'll give you an idea of what the French and British fur trappers were calling all Indian women, and I hope no one ever uses that term again." This marked the beginning of organized efforts to remove the word squaw from place names, a campaign that continues today, so far with mixed success.

Hey, free country. Except that squaw doesn't mean vagina. "It is as certain as any historical fact can be that the word squaw that the English settlers in Massachusetts used for 'Indian woman' in the early 1600s was adopted by them from the word squa that their Massachusett-speaking neighbors used in their own language to mean 'female, younger woman,' and not from Mohawk ojiskwa', 'vagina,' which has the wrong shape [sound], the wrong meaning, and was used by people with whom they then had no contact. The resemblance that might be perceived between squaw and the last syllable of the Mohawk word is coincidental." This comes to us from Ives Goddard, a specialist in linguistics and curator at the Smithsonian Institution, writing in News From Indian Country, mid-April 1997.

Massachusett (no s), one of the Algonquian family of languages, was spoken by Native Americans in eastern Massachusetts. As is common with "first contact" languages, Massachusett and its Algonquian cousins contributed many terms, including papoose, sachem, skunk, opossum, and raccoon, that thereafter became standard English words, even in parts of North America where Algonquian languages weren't spoken. The first recorded use of squaw in English dates from 1622, and it had been adopted into the language by 1634. The Mohawks were 200 miles away, spoke a completely different language (Mohawk is part of the Iroquoian family of languages, not Algonquian, Harjo's statement notwithstanding), and were hostile to the Massachusett Indians.

Also no one apparently told the Navajo. From http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/larry_dilucchio/faq02a.htm:

What is a "Squaw Dance?"

"Squaw Dance", signs are often placed along major reservation roads at junctions with driveways and minor roads, alerting passers-by to the presence of an Enemy Way Ceremony, or Nadaa, that night. While the primary purpose iof a Nadaa' is ceremonial healing, the dances are also social occasions which give people from remote communities a chance to meet. Originally, it was a war dance, held for returning men after battles with an enemy. Some sources have said that originally, young women of marriageable status were the only women permitted to dance. In recent years, the flavor of the occasion has changed. Perhaps this is an adaptation to fewer wars. Men may be expected to pay women they dance with some renumeration, usually a token of pocket change.
The Enemy Way ceremony is paid for by families. If you attend, it is good manners to bring food. A sack of "Blue Bird" flour, a case of soda, or a can of coffee is very acceptable. The advice that people must be a friend to make a friend, works here too.
It is probably best if you attend your first "Squaw Dance" with a guide. Recently, emergency room staff in both Chinle and Ganado have commented that their case load increases dramatically, mainly in alcohol related injuries, when some large "Squaw Dances" are held nearby.
If the actual ceremony is the "Enemy Way Ceremony", why is the sign "SQUAW DANCE" posted?

I don't know. The reason seems lost, other than there are women there. Most point out that "Squaw" is not a Navajo word, but it is used none the less, with no apparrent offense. Nadáá is the Navajo term for the event.
The state and national press has carried stories about a movement to eliminate the use of the word "SQUAW" in geographic names. Why?

This has fuzzy origins. Some contend that in the language of some eastern tribe, "SQUAW" may refer to a woman's genitals. Others believe it was equivalent for a woman who sold her body. Either way, it is not a Navajo word, but one whose use was originally introduced by non-Navajos. Some feel the word is as derogatory to all American Indian women as the word "nigger" is to African Americans. Arizona State Representative "Jack" Jackson, who is Navajo, has introduced a bill in the Arizona legislature for several sessions to change the names of Arizona landmarks such as "Squaw Peak", but he has met with little success.
It seems illogical that he can gain support when "Squaw Dance" remains a term of choice in his homeland, where it is commonly used without disrespect by his constituents!

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