Clackamas County will rename Squaw Mountain
and other landmarks
The
Oregonian
June
12, 2007
Clackamas County plans to remove the word
"squaw" from a fifth location, wiping a name often considered
derogatory off the county map.
The latest proposal calls for Squaw Mountain Road
east of Estacada to have a new name by the end of the year. The county
commissioners earlier this year supported a proposal to replace the word
"squaw" with "tumala" (tuh-MALL-lah) for Squaw Creek,
Lakes, Meadow and Mountain in the Mount Hood National Forest.
"Tumala," of Chinook Wawa origin, means tomorrow or after life.
The Oregon Geographic Names Board originally
spelled the word "tamala" but now spells it "tumala" in an
endeavor to more precisely match the way it is pronounced.
Six years ago, Oregon legislators called for
removing the word from state geographical features. Since 2001, the Oregon
Geographic Names Board has eliminated "squaw" from about 40 place
names in Oregon, said board president Champ C. Vaughan, and has 140 more to go,
including about 60 Squaw Creeks.
Peter Zuckerman:
peterzuckerman@news.oregonian.com
'Squaw' place names erased from Clackamas County
maps
The
Oregonian
January
23, 2008
Clackamas County officials are close to removing
the word "squaw" from place and road names, seven years after the
Oregon Legislature directed them to make the change.
The Oregon Board of Geographic Names and the U.S.
Board of Geographic Names in December approved substituting the Chinook Wawa
word "Tumala" (tah-MALL-lah) for Squaw Creek, Lakes, Meadow and
Mountain in the Mount Hood National Forest east of Estacada.
On Tuesday, the commissioners said they also want
to rename Squaw Mountain Road, which they believe is the last place on county
maps using the word "squaw," a reference to Native American women
that is often considered derogatory.
"Tumala" suggests a spiritual sense of
the future or eternal life, according to the Oregon Geographic Names Board.
"Its origin is in the historic interaction
between English-speaking fur trappers and the indigenous people of the Columbia
River Basin," according to a letter sent to the county by the Confederated
Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon, who supported the change.
At least one county resident criticized the change.
In an e-mail to the commissioners, Estacada resident Bruce Poppino wrote:
"I am ashamed that my county commissioners are more worried about being
'politically correct' than preserving our past."