California will rename places to remove racist term for a Native American woman

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A racist term for a Native American woman will be removed from nearly three dozen geographic features and place names on California lands, the state Natural Resources Agency announced Friday.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2022 signed a bill into law that bans use of the word “squaw” in future place names and ordered the agency rename all places that used the slur, including on streets, bridges, public buildings and cemeteries, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday.

New names have been selected in consultation with California’s Native American tribes for over 30 locations in 15 counties. The California Advisory Committee on Geographic Names will work to implement approved replacement names by Jan. 1.

One example is in the city of West Sacramento, where local officials worked with the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation to develop two new street names to replace the slur. The name recommended by the Tribal Council of the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation is “tebti,” which is a word and blessing that translates to streams that flow together.

“With continued consultation, tribes can lead initiatives to eliminate such words from California’s public places,” said Anthony Roberts, tribal chairman.

A full list of new California names was not available Friday but will be made public shortly, the natural resources agency told The Associated Press in an email.

Assemblymember James C. Ramos, a Democrat from San Bernardino who became California's first Native American state lawmaker in 2018, authored the bill. He is a resident of the San Manuel Indian Reservation and member of the Serrano/Cahuilla tribe.

In 2021, a popular Northern California ski resort changed its name to Palisades Tahoe as part of efforts nationally to address a history of colonialism and oppression against Native Americans and other people of color.

U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland also moved in 2021 to rename any geographic features or location names on federal lands that use the term, including dozens in California.