Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Huckleberries Online

Murf: Yet Offensive ‘Squaw’ Remains

We appreciate the Idaho governor and Legislature's concern for offensive words. We also applaud their efforts to remove such language from Idaho code. Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter signed into law Tuesday a bill that would strike "retarded," "lunatic" and similar words from some 73 state laws. Unfortunately, the bill only covers part of the offensive language problem in the state. In signing the bill, Otter said the words were "just as hurtful to people with disabilities as racial slurs are to minorities," according to an Associated Press story. Really? Tell that to the five American Indian tribes who have been trying to have the word "squaw" removed from about 100 place names in Idaho. The last attempt in 2001 failed because some members of the House couldn't bring themselves to admit the word had any derogatory meaning at all/Murf Raquet, Moscow-Pullman Daily News. More here.

Question: Is it time that North Idaho legislators make it a priority to fight to remove the word "squaw" from Idaho's geographic places, including Squaw Bay?



D.F. Oliveria
D.F. (Dave) Oliveria joined The Spokesman-Review in 1984. He currently is a columnist and compiles the Huckleberries Online blog and writes about North Idaho in his Huckleberries column.

Follow Dave online: