California is set to remove the racist term “squaw” from nearly three dozen geographic features and place names on state lands following the signing of a bill by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2022. The law mandates that all future place names exclude the slur and that existing locations using the term be renamed. This includes streets, bridges, public buildings, and cemeteries.
On Friday, the California Natural Resources Agency announced that new names had been selected for more than 30 locations across 15 counties in collaboration with California’s Native American tribes. The California Advisory Committee on Geographic Names oversees the implementation of these changes, which are set to be completed by January 1.
In one example, West Sacramento worked with the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation to rename two streets that previously bore the slur. The new name, “tebti,” means “streams that flow together” in the Wintun language and was chosen by the Tribal Council.
Anthony Roberts, chairman of the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation, emphasised the importance of continued consultation with tribes to address and remove derogatory terms from public spaces. “With continued consultation, tribes can lead initiatives to eliminate such words from California’s public places,” he said.
The list of new names for California locations will be made public in the coming weeks. The effort is part of a broader national movement to address historical injustices against Native Americans.
Assemblymember James C. Ramos, California’s first Native American state lawmaker, authored the bill. A member of the Serrano/Cahuilla tribe and resident of the San Manuel Indian Reservation, Ramos has been a critical advocate for addressing the legacy of colonialism and oppression.
In 2021, the famous Northern California ski resort formerly known as Squaw Valley also changed its name to Palisades Tahoe as part of a nationwide push to remove offensive terms from public places. That same year, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland moved to rename federal locations using the term “squaw,” including several in California.
