Law Forbids "Squaw"

A bill signed yesterday will tighten the law that bars use of the word "squaw" for official place names in Maine.

After Maine's law took effect, Big Squaw Mountain in Greenville became Big Moose Mountain; Squaw Pond became Sipun, the Passamaquoddy Indian word for blackfly; and a couple of dozen other names were changed.

But there have been efforts in some communities to end-run the restriction by using shorter versions of the word, such as "Squa," or combining it with another word to form place names. In northern Maine's Aroostook County, a lake near Mapleton remained Squapan Lake. And in coastal Stockton Springs, a local homeowners' group objected to the renaming of Squaw Point to Defence Road. [Link]