Image provided by: The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs; Warm Springs, OR
About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (April 14, 2005)
Pge 16 Spilyqy Tytnoo, Wqi-rn Springs, Oregon April 14, 2005 Tribes want 'squaw' names changed, but that's no simple task SISTERS (AP) - Olivia Wallulatum finds it hard to even look at the sign, a marker for the Siuaw River. It reminds her of ail the names she was called as a girl. And she wants something done about it. She wants the name changed. "I don't care what they change it to. I just want to sec it go," said Wallulatum. Nearly a thousand places across the country - rivers, butrcs, meadows, mountains - arc named "siuaw," and most American Indians want them to be called something else. Changing the names, though, isn't happening with any great speed and certainly not without a struggle. American Indians' height ened sensitivity to the word came about in 1992 after an activist announced on a tele vision talk show that su,uaw is derived from a vulgar Mohawk word. Linguists maintain "squaw" means "woman" in the language of die Massachusctt tribe, which once lived on the East Coast. Three years later, activists and the government joined forces to change the names, but their efforts have been far from stellar. The U.S. Geographic Names Board shows that a decade of work has brought about different names for only 74 of the 967 Annual mini marathon set for May 1 at Kah-Nee-Ta The Warm Springs Health and Wellness Center has sched uled the annual Mini Marathon for Sunday, May 1. The four events scheduled are the 14.5-mile, 10K, three mile, and the one-mile. The top three winners of each division will receive medals for each event. Pre-registration will be ac cepted until April 29 at a rate of $12, which includes t-shirt. Day of the race registration rate Scramble to help golf team An 18-hole, four-person golf scramble to benefit the Madras High School golf team is scheduled for Satur day, April 23, at Eagle Crest Resort. Players of all ages and single players are welcome. A shotgun start is at 8:30 a.m. The fee to play $55 per player. Fee includes use of a golf cart, eligibility for awards and an auction, and lunch. Q:mD DifinKtfi!) Una Johnson, daughter of Delford and Marita Johnson, is the manager of Jo 's Coffee Corral. She is also a student at Central Oregon Community College, where she studies business administration. Working at the Coffee Corral and studying business at COCC go well together, she said. "I get to apply the concepts I 'm learning in school to the real world," said Una. Jo 's Coffee Corral is located by the Shell station places, less than 8 percent. In ( )rcgon, which has more places named "squaw" than anywhere else in the nation, only six of the roughly 170 names have been changed since 2001, the year lawmakers passed a bill banning the word. The board's executive direc tor, Roger Payne, said part of the holdup is that tribal officials can't agree on what word should replace the offensive term. Payne cites a board survey of American Indian tribes. Al though the majority wanted the squaw name to go, each tribe wanted to replace it with a word from its language, he said. The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs is an example. In 2004, after three years of de bate, the Warm Springs tribal council passed a resolution ap proving 42 words to replace squaw on the tribe's ancestral land. Public opposition also has slowed the process of erasing "squaw" from the U.S. map. In Arizona, officials faced a fury of public opinion after they renamed Squaw Peak for Ix)ri Piestewa, a I Iopi scrvicewoman killed in Iraq. Still, there have been times when eradicating "squaw" has gone smoothly. In Maine's Piscataquis County, commissioners voted to universally change "squaw" to "moose." In Colorado, the en will be $20, which includes t shirt. If you prefer to pay a rate without a t-shirt the rate is $8. Day of race registration will open at 8 a.m. at the Kah-Nee-Ta Village front gate. The 14.5 mile run will load runners and leave the Kah-Nee-Ta Village front gate at 8:30 a.m. sharp. The 14.5-mile run begins at 9 a.m. from Simnasho, and all other race events begin at 10 a.m. First prize is four round of 18 holes of golf at one of Central Oregon's finest courses, and prizes for second and third prize are available. The tournament also has com petitions for long drive, KP, and a $3 mulligan. For more information, con tact Dan Hiatt (548-7140), Debbie Olson (475-6538), or Diane Ringering (475-2184). on Highway 26. On weekdays the Coffee Corral is open from 7 a. m. till 4 p.m., and on the weekends from 9 a.m. till 4 p.m. dangered squawfish is now the Colorado pikeminnow, Glacier National Park's Squaw Moun tain is now Dancing I.ady Mouniain. In Minnesota, 18 of the 19 squaw land and water forms were rechristened without ob jection. The exception is the town of Squaw Like, popula tion 99. "Arc we supposed to change our entire language to justify a few people's misgivings? asked Mayor Art Mertes, who maintains that the word is not derogatory. Linguists say that Mertes is essentially right about the origi nal meaning of "squaw." It was a word from the Massachusett tribe used as early as 1 663 in a translation of the Bible to mean "woman," said Ives Goddard, a senior linguist at the Smithsonian Institution, die But Goddard cautions that the meaning of words change over time: "As we know, lots of words are considered offen sive that have perfectly inno cent etymologies. The famous 'n' word just meant black." The swift change in aware ness came with a 1992 appear ance on "Oprah" by writer and activist Suzan I larjo, who said the word comes from a Mohawk word for female genitalia - and the etymology has since become accepted by many tribal leaders. I am I mm ki M l W III ii mmwM14l mmmmmmmm -M mm - m Legal battle over Redskins name continues WASHINGTON, IC.(AP) - Major American Indian groups went to court last week trying to revoke the Washington Redskins' trademark name, call ing it a disparaging reference to millions of people. Four national organizations joined a District of Columbia resident who filed suit in 1992 to pressure the team to drop the Redskins moniker because they consider it offensive. But a team Buttons & Bolts April 21, 22, 23 Central Oregon Shop Hop Perfect time to see all Drawing for free quilt Three $500 Grand Prizes, free fat quarts pattern at every shop, and it will make a wall Jianging. 21 Prizes lawyer argued that the appeal should be dismissed because the legal complaints weren't filed until decades afterhc name was first adopted in 1933. "This f(Ktball team has been on actual notice from 1972 that Native Americans found this name offensive," attorney Tho mas Morrison, who represents the American Indian groups, told the US. Court of Appeals. "I don't think we'd be hearing 125 SE D Street Madras, OR 97741 475-0440 Store Hours: Tues thru Friday 9-6 Saturday 9-5 Closed Sun. & Mon. this debate if it were a different ethnic group." Terms such as "blackies" or "spies" would clearly be unac ceptable for any team name, Morrison said in court. Suzan Shown I larjo, one of the original plaintiffs, won the first round in 1999 when a US. Patent and Trademark Office panel canceled the Redskins' trademarks. But a federal judge reversed that decision last year. I Shop Hop Hours only: Thurs. 9:30 to 5:30 Fri. 9:00 to 8:00 Sat. 9:00 to 6:00