California’s Squaw Valley ski area will change its name at the conclusion of the coming ski season.
The decision, the company said Tuesday, has been taken after it undertook extensive research into the history and etymology of the word “squaw.” The resort labeled the word “derogatory and offensive.”
Squaw Valley leadership will create a renaming committee to come up with a new name, which will be announced early next year.
The origins of the word “squaw” have been a subject of significant research and debate through the years. Squaw Valley said Tuesday that there is now “insurmountable evidence” that the word has been used as a dehumanizing reference to Native American women since the early 1800s.
The resort noted that seven states have made it illegal to have “squaw” in place names since 1995. In the Lake Tahoe region, it added, the Washoe Tribe has actively sought similar name changes.
“With the momentum of recognition and accountability we are seeing around the country, we have reached the conclusion that now is the right time to acknowledge a change needs to happen,” Squaw Valley president and COO Ron Cohen said.