Hi Tweets,

Mike Patterson writes:
>It has been mentioned in these fora on several ocassions that we stop
>refering to _Clangula hyemalis_ as "Oldsquaw." While I am loathe to bend
>to the pressure of political correctness, I can see the writing on the wall
>and am willing to discuss alternatives...

'Niggerhead' used to be a generic Eastern Canada name for a male scoter. Can
we seriously think that in the latter days of the 1990's that any attempt to
change it to something less offensive would be met with the jeering charge
of wimpish acquiescence to the forces of 'Political Correctness', whatever
they may be beside the intellectually lazy unwillingness to clean up one's
semantic act?

Regarding the usage of 'Squaw', one of the mildest connotative names quoted
in W.L. McAtee's 1959 monograph 'Folk-Names of Canadian Birds, 2nd edition'
is, to quote: "Long-tailed squaw (Latter term from its "garrulity". N.S., Ont.)"

Okay, let's see what Mr. Roget has to say about being garrulous: "be
loquacious, talk glibly, pour forth, prate, palaver, patter, prose, maunder,
chatter, blab, gush, prattle, jabber, jaw (low), babble, gabble, cackle,
clack, blather or blether, expatiate, talk at random, talk nonsense."

Hm. Mostly less than complimentary terms, there. Mostly patronising, in
fact. Something men used to do well in the good old days when talking about
women, whether in racist condescension to native women or simple sexist
condescension otherwise. In fact, you may, if you think the term
inoffensive, identify First Nations women in terms of their "garrulity" and
call them 'squaws', implying the above. Personally, I don't have the
courage, even were I to have the inclination to offer such provocation.

Well, depending on who you talk to and listen to, the term 'Squaw'
historically and in contemporary usage refers to a number of things; ranging
from least extreme to most extreme, none of which, were I a member of a
First Nations people, you had better call my mother or sister or female
cousin. In some of its implied meanings, and I have directly heard them used
deliberately by many white men and some women to impart those specific
meanings, it is as brutishly offensive as the other racially-identifying
terms, 'nigger' or 'kike', and even at its very mildest contains a
barely-hidden sneer, a distasteful insult, an indulgence of incivility born
of perceived or implied superiority. Classy.

Would I approach a First Nations woman and *to her face* refer to her as
"squaw"? Don't be silly. Would you? I thought not. Who on this list would
demonstrate such evil-mannered boorishness by offering such an insult? Well,
then, I really don't understand what the great difficulty is here...

So should you use it at any time, even for a bird's name? Please permit me
the opportunity to introduce a simple, no-brainer method someone developed
of approaching the usage of sensitive terminology that cuts through all this
snide crap about 'Political Correctness'--ask yourself the following
question and answer *honestly*: would I use this term in direct conversation
with an individual to whom it might or would apply? If no, then out it goes.
No exceptions. It is, when one dispenses with all the self-conscious and
defensive nonsense about 'Political Correctness', a question of simple good
manners and sensitivity to others, the basis of civility. As Charles Barkely
once said, discussing another matter, "Anything less would
be...uncivilised." Sir Charles had it exactly right.

>I hate "Long-tailed Duck." It's uninteresting, only vaguely discriptive
>and... so British.

My understanding in taxonomic usage is that the colloquial name in prior
usage in any species known in both the Old and New Worlds had precedence,
hence 'Long-tailed Duck' since the term was being used in Britain well
before 'Oldsquaw' came into colloquial (hunter) use here in North America,
and that is it's current colloquial name in the British Ornithological Union
Checklist. Count your blessings: for those of you who eschew four-letter
codes, you might have had to write out each time, 'Ye Olde Longge-tail'd
Ducke' ;-)

As someone born and raised in Britain, I'm partial to both the intuitive and
commonsense taxonomic principle of prior precedence and as accurate a
descriptive name as possible (much more so than Ring-necked Duck, for a
North American example of descriptive nomenclature gone mad, mad, absolutely
mad, do you hear me? ;-) Now *there's* a name worthy of the changing!)
That's my humble opinion, gently offered, but then, as a Brit, I'm pretty
uninteresting and certainly not very, um, "discriptive". Dang. So British.
So that's been my trouble all these years...

Canadians are even worse, or better, depending on your viewpoint. There was
(really!) a recent contest on the CBC, our national radio and TV network, to
find a Canadian equivalent to the American expression "As American as Apple
Pie!" The winner was, "As Canadian as Possible, Given the Circumstances!"
(helpless guffaws and falling off chairs from sea to shining sea).

Pardon the digression: that was irresistible.

>There are alternatives. According to _Ducks, Geese and Swans of North
>America_ (Kortright, 1943) the following have been used as synonyms for
>Oldsquaw:
>
> Callithumpian Duck (my personal choice)
> Caccawee (or cockawee, kakawi)
> Coween
> Granny
> Hahaway
> Hell's Chicken (another one I'd vote for)
> Klahowyah
> Knockmolly
> Organ Duck
> Quandy
> Scoldnore
> Sonsonsolly Duck
> Uncle Dick

Not to mention some others:

Aleck
Hound
Swallow-tailed Duck (!)
Pine-knot
Ank-angalik (my fave of the call-based names)

Some of these alternative names that Mike has found are absolutely *wonderful*!

>I have left out most of the other sexist names that would probably not
>pass PC muster. I think we should begin lobbying today for an appropriate
>new name that reflects the personality of _Clangula hyemalis_.

Dispensing with racist, sexist or insulting terminology is always salutary,
leaving cleaner language. Perhaps you may also want to keep the British and
European Ornithological Unions apprised of your intent.

>I think we can probably make a case based on priority for one of the
>Native American names.

As the people whose ancestors were here before our ancestors, perhaps
someone should like to canvass the Aleut, Inuit, and other nations to see
what they might think an appropriate substitute?

>Send your preferences to directly to me and we'll begin the campaign today.

Long-tailed Duck. Sorry, it's the Brit in me. ;-)

Actually, one of the sonic-based names would be really cool ('sonic' because
I can't spell 'onomatopo-whateverthehell' worth a damn; where's Miss Smith
when we need her? Hey, Subplot--!)

Cheers

M


Michael Price
Vancouver BC Canada When I found out that seven of my years
(604) 668-5073 vx was only one of theirs,
(604) 668-5028 fx I started biting absolutely everything.
mprice at mindlink.net
michael.price at istar.ca -Max Carlson (Ron Carlson's dog)