State Board Frustrated That Wyoming Has No Say In Renaming Any Location With Word “Squaw” In It | Cowboy State Daily

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By Leo Wolfson, Cowboy State Each day

Members of the state group that makes suggestions on the naming of geographic options in Wyoming are expressing frustration over federal plans to eradicate the phrase “squaw” from places throughout the nation.

Members of the Wyoming Board of Geographic names, throughout their assembly Wednesday, mentioned they wished they’d been given an opportunity to supply enter on the plan of Inside Secretary Deb Haaland to eradicate the phrase “squaw” from geologic characteristic names throughout the nation.

The board additionally used its assembly Tuesday to vote towards a proposal to call a Cody mountain after artist Jackson Pollock.

The dialogue in regards to the phrase “squaw” stems from a “secretarial order” issued in November by Haaland to take away the phrase from the names of some 660 options nationally, together with 43 in 17 Wyoming counties.

A ultimate resolution on the proposal is to be made by the U.S. Board of Geographic Names in September.

The choice will likely be made with out enter from the Wyoming Board of Geographic Names due to a particular course of established by Haaland, mentioned Jennifer Runyon, a geographer with the U.S. Geological Survey and advisor to the U.S. Board of Geographic Names.

“I assume the secretary thought that was notably OK,” she mentioned through the assembly.

The one manner for Wyoming to supply enter on the proposal would have been to submit public remark and the time interval for submitting remark has already ended.

Geographic naming boards from Washington and Colorado did reply by this course of, Runyon mentioned.

Of the 6,650 public feedback obtained, Runyon mentioned about 4,000 have been in assist of the concept of adjusting the names of options whose names at the moment include the phrase “squaw,” which Haaland declared derogatory to Native American girls.

However no member of the Wyoming board supported the change and board Vice Chair Jack Studley mentioned he doesn’t consider the time period is derogatory, primarily based on his analysis.

“It very clearly states it stood for feminine or youthful girl,” he mentioned.

Studley additionally speculated that if the phrase “squaw” is in actual fact offensive, the phrase “peninsula” is also deemed so due to its similarity to the phrase for male genitalia.

Runyon talked about that there’s  pending laws addressing using the phrase “squaw” in geographic landmarks, and Studley mentioned the brand new legislation may pre-empt Haaland’s order. Runyon mentioned that is attainable, however added Haaland may additionally have the authority as head of the DOI to override any rule adjustments.

A particular activity pressure has been created by the Division of Inside to look at the elimination of the phrase “squaw” from place names and official communications.

The board additionally voted unanimously throughout its assembly to oppose a suggestion to call the Cody mountain off of the Chief Joseph Freeway after Pollock.

The board voted 11-0 to reject the identify for the pink sandstone butte on personal land.

“The straightforward reality of beginning right here actually doesn’t make any form of connection in any respect,” Studley mentioned. “Historic or established use ought to have a direct connection to a geographic characteristic.”

The mountain or massive hill, unofficially often called “Pink Hill,” “Pink Butte” or “Pink Cliffs,” is positioned on Two Dot Ranch property. The ranch’s normal supervisor Mark McCarty instructed Park County Commissioner Lee Livingston that the ranch’s proprietor Fayez Sarofim doesn’t assist the proposal.

The Pollock suggestion was submitted by Michigan artist Gregory Constantine to the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Board of Geographic Names first earlier than it was despatched to the native degree for consideration. 

In his utility, Constantine referred to the butte as “my mountain” a number of occasions and mentioned he had a private connection to the height, having created round 35 work of it.

Though Pollock solely spent the primary 10 months of his life in Cody, he was associates with and influenced well-known Western artist and Cody resident Harry Jackson. Pollock didn’t make Western artwork himself and it’s unknown whether or not he ever returned to Cody throughout his life.

“Jackson Pollock had no private affinity for that peak,” board member Dan White mentioned. “He wasn’t there. He left in 10 months. It’s a non-starter.”

The state board obtained 12 feedback against the naming, and just one supporting it, that one coming from Constantine himself.

“The explanation to do it given is, ‘simply because,’” mentioned R.J. Pieper, a member of the board who’s an artist himself. “The opposition from the local people is screaming loud and clear about what must occur.”

The board did approve a movement to encourage the Sarofim to suggest a reputation with native ties for the mountain.

The Pollock subject remains to be not a executed deal nevertheless. The Wyoming Board of Geographic Names will solely be thought-about by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names, which meets month-to-month and publishes quarterly lists of recent or modified names of geographic options.

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