Tweets,

I don't wish to belabor this thread, but here's my source on the etymology
of "squaw."

Gene Hunn.

The sociolinguistics of "Squaw"

>From William Bright (william.bright at colorado.edu) , 16 Sept 1998

In July 1998, newspapers in the US and overseas reported an action by the
Board of Geographic and Historical Names of the state of Arizona, concerning
the official name of a summit called Squaw Peak. Many American Indians
object to the use of the word "squaw" in place names, claiming that it is
offensive and demeaning to Native Americans; and a group in Arizona had
petitioned the state Board to change the name Squaw Peak to Iron Mountain.
The Board, however, rejected this petition. Some Indian activists have
objected to the word "squaw" on grounds of both historical origin and
present-day usage. From the historical viewpoint, the claim has been made
that the word is derived from Mohawk _otsi'skwa_ [acute accent over the "i"]
'female genitals'. However , the Arizona Board gave greater weight to
evidence from Ives Goddard, of the Smithsonian Institution, who demonstrated
that the word "squaw" represents a widespread Algonquian word for 'woman',
first borrowed into English from Massachusett _squa_, and attested from the
Plymouth Colony in 1634. Apart from the historical argument however, Indian
activists have claimed that the word "squaw" is felt to be insulting by many
Native Americans. It has been noted that, since the 1970s, many English
dictionaries have listed the word with labels like "disparaging,"
"derogatory," and "offensive". However, it has also been reported that, in
some areas, Indians do _not_ find the term offensive. It seems to me that
Goddard has effectively countered the etymological argument regarding
"squaw", but the sociolinguistic issues remain: How has the word been used,
historically and currently, and what attitudes have been held regarding the
word? These questions apply to usage and attitudes of both Anglos and
Indians, in the US and Canada. I'd like to present a paper on this subject
in January 1999, at a joint session of the American Name Society with the
Linguistic Society of America, in Los Angeles. I'm collecting
bibliographical references, published materials (including newspaper
clippings), and personal impressions from anyone who's interested. Please
let me hear from you! Please also feel free to forward this message to other
people.

William Bright
1625 Mariposa
Boulder, CO 80302
fax: 303-413-0017
(william.bright at colorado.edu)