American Indian women and men all
around the United States and Canada reject the use of the word
squaw in reference to American Indian women. The word
has been imposed on our culture by European Americans and appears on hundreds
of geographic place names. Suzan Shown Harjo brought the issue to national
attention on the Oparh Winfrey Show back in 1992. Since that time projects
to eliminate the use of the word on geographic sites have formed in Minnesota
(Dawn Litzau and Angelene Losh), in Arizona (Delena Waddle and Seipe Flood),
in California (Stormy Ogden), and in Iowa (Fawn Stubben).
Many other states are forming groups to erradicate the
use of the word from geographic place names
and women's sports teams.
1.When people
argue that the word squaw appears in the dictionary, remind them that the
word is
also identified as derogatory. The Thesaurus of Slang lists the term squaw
as a synonym for
prostitute, harlot, hussy, and floozy.
2.When people argue that the word originates in American Indian language point out that:
In the Algonquin languages the word squaw means vagina.
In the Mohawk language the word otsikwaw means female genitalia. Mohawk
women and
men found that early European fur traders shortened the word to squaw because
that
represented what they wanted from Mohawk women.
Although scholarship traces the word to the Massachusset Indians back in
the 1650s, the
word has different meanings (or may not exist at all) in hundreds of other
American Indian
languages. This claim also assumes that a European correctly translated
the Massachusset
language to English--that he understood the nuances of Indian speech.
Attitudes of white supremacy account for the need of seperate identifing
terms such as
squaw and buck. In order to justify the taking of the land, American Indian
women and men
had to be labled with dehumanitizing terms. Europeans and European Americans
spread
the use of the word as they moved westward across the continent.
3.When people
say "it never used to bother Indian women to be called squaw, respond with
the
following questions and statement.
Were American Indian women of people ever asked? Have you ever asked an
American
Indian woman, man, or child how they feel about the word? (Do not say the
word yourself,
simply call it the "s" word) then state that it has always been used to
insult American
Indian women.
4.When people ask "why now?" explain that:
Through communication and education American Indian people have come to
understand
the derogatory meaning of the word. American Indian women claim the right
to define
ourselves as women and we reject the offensive term squaw.
(taken from the web page of American Indian Movement, Southern California Chapter)