Local governments slapped with offensive names complaints

By: Gale Courey Toensing

AUGUSTA, Maine - Since the state Legislature banned the use of the offensive word ''squaw'' six years ago, 36 place names have been changed in compliance.

On July 11, the Maine Indian Tribal-State Commission filed complaints with the Maine Human Rights Commission against two local governments that have dragged their feet in ridding landmarks in their areas of the derogatory word that offends American Indians and their supporters.

''The only communities that are technically - and I want to stress technically - not in compliance are Stockton Springs and Washington County,'' said MITSC Executive Director John Dieffenbacher-Krall, who filed the complaints following a vote by commissioners.

This is the first time MITSC has filed complaints under the offensive names act that was introduced by Donald Soctomah, the Passamaquoddy tribal representative to the state Legislature, and passed in 2001.

The law bans the use of the word ''squaw'' in all circumstances, but allows the use of ''squa'' in combination with other letters as long as they form one word.

''Apparently, there is a legitimate [in the Algonquin language] word 'squapan,' so the law allows s-q-u-a in combination without a space. But I think some people view that as a loophole and I think that's what's going on in Stockton Springs,'' Dieffenbacher-Krall said.

There's more here: http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096415423