SACRAMENTO, Calif. — In a significant move towards promoting respect for Native American culture, California’s Natural Resources Agency announced on Friday that it would remove a derogatory term referring to Native American women from the names of nearly thirty geographic features and locations throughout the state.

Governor Gavin Newsom enacted a law in 2022 prohibiting the use of the term “squaw” in any future place names, which also mandated that existing locations bearing the offensive term be renamed. This initiative encompasses not only streets, but also bridges, public buildings, and cemeteries, as indicated by a report from the Los Angeles Times.

Renaming efforts have been undertaken in collaboration with California’s Native American tribes to generate new names for over 30 sites across 15 counties. The California Advisory Committee on Geographic Names is set to carry out the approved name changes by the beginning of January.

As an illustration, in West Sacramento, local authorities engaged with the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation to create two new street names, replacing the derogatory one. The name suggested by the Tribal Council translates to “tebti,” which conveys the meaning of streams merging together, symbolizing unity.

Anthony Roberts, the tribal chairman, emphasized the importance of ongoing consultation with tribes to spearhead initiatives aimed at eliminating harmful words from public spaces in California.

While a comprehensive list of the new names was not available as of Friday, the state’s natural resources agency indicated that it would release these details soon.

The bill was sponsored by Assemblymember James C. Ramos, a Democrat from San Bernardino, who made history as California’s first Native American state legislator when he took office in 2018. He is associated with the Serrano/Cahuilla tribe and is a resident of the San Manuel Indian Reservation.

Efforts to address the legacy of colonialism and oppression faced by Native Americans and other marginalized communities have been reflected in broader changes as well, such as a prominent ski resort in Northern California that rebranded itself as Palisades Tahoe in 2021.

Furthermore, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland has also taken steps since 2021 to rename geographic features and place names on federal lands that contain the offensive term, including numerous sites in California.