"White elected officials, such as Kootenai County Commissioner Rick Currie and state Rep. Dick Harwood, R-St. Maries, don't get it.

It doesn't matter what they think the word "squaw" means. Or if they use the word in the best manner possible when they refer to geographical place names in North Idaho. Or if they're tired of name changes. Or if the name has a debatable background. In the 21st century among American Indian tribes � including the Coeur d'Alene, Nez Perce and Kootenai of the Idaho Panhandle � the term is universally regarded as a derogatory reference to female genitalia.

Not only does it have to go away, but it is going away. Montana has expunged 20 of what the tribes call "S-words" from geographical places. Washington has deleted four. Idaho already has made four changes, most on the Nez Perce Reservation. Meanwhile, the League of Women Voters, spurred by its Idaho chapter, has embraced this issue as an important cause. Momentum is building to eliminate the smear on this nation's Indian tribes."

Get the Story:
Our view: It's not just a name (The Spokesman Review 10/16)

Relevant Links:
U.S. Board on Geographic Names - http://geonames.usgs.gov/bgn.html

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