Deb Haaland, the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, stated on Friday that her department will conduct a comprehensive review of possibly racially offensive names of places on federal lands.
In the case of such names being found, they will be immediately replaced with alternative names.
According to The Hill, as an example, Haaland mentioned the term "squaw," used to denote an indigenous woman, appears to be used more than 650 times in names of places throughout the US, says the Board on Geographic Names. "Squaw" for decades has been considered to be derogatory and insulting to the native inhabitants of territories within the US, for various reasons.
The research will be undertaken by a newly-formed federal committee called the "Derogatory Geographic Names Task Force." This new task force will consult with locals in the relevant areas, and with tribal authorities, in order to determine candidates for name changes, and also to help determine which alternatives would be acceptable.
Haaland told the press during the Friday interview:
"Racist terms have no place in our vernacular or on our federal lands. Our nation’s lands and waters should be places to celebrate the outdoors and our shared cultural heritage – not to perpetuate the legacies of oppression."
"Today’s actions will accelerate an important process to reconcile derogatory place names and mark a significant step in honoring the ancestors who have stewarded our lands since time immemorial."
Haaland, herself a descendant of indigenous Americans, has made relations with the first peoples of the continent a major factor of her tenure as Secretary of the Interior.
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