The names of 34 Nevada geological features will be renamed to remove an offensive ethnic, racial and sexist slur used against Indigenous women, the Department of the Interior announced Thursday.
A total of 650 features nationwide with sq— in the name will be renamed following a vote by the Board of Geographic Names.
“I feel a deep obligation to use my platform to ensure that our public lands and waters are accessible and welcoming. That starts with removing racist and derogatory names that have graced federal locations for far too long,” said Secretary Deb Haaland in a media statement.
“I am grateful to the members of the Derogatory Geographic Names Task Force and the Board on Geographic Names for their efforts to prioritize this important work. Together, we are showing why representation matters and charting a path for an inclusive America.”
A map of the locations can be found here.
These are the 34 places in Nevada that will be renamed:
- New name - Old name - Feature - County
- East Pequop Creek - East Sq— Creek - Stream - Elko
- Sonoma Valley - Little Sq— Valley - Flat - Humboldt
- Koe Pato - Sq— Butte - Summit - Pershing
- Smoke Creek Valley Opening - Sq— Valley - Valley - Washoe
- Rose Creek - Sq— Creek - Stream - Mineral
- Izhape’ Naokwaide - Sq— Creek - Stream - Elko
- Cooks Butte - Sq— Butte - Summit - Lander
- Too Kapu Tawaka - Sq— Creek Valley - Flat - Washoe
- Daisy Peak - Sq— Tit - Summit - Lander
- Mohave Peaks - Sq— Peaks - Summit - Clark
- Tosa Wihi Hunu’u - Sq— Valley - Basin - Elko
- Rock Springs Mountain - Sq— Mountain - Summit - Elko
- West Pequop Creek - West Sq— Creek - Stream - Elko
- Depa No'obi - Sq— Hills - Summit - Nye
- Davu’tsi Naokwaide - Sq— Creek - Stream - Elko
- Murry Peak - Sq— Peak - Summit - White Pine
- Deep Hole Spring Creek - Sq— Creek - Stream - Washoe
- Sonoma Creek - Sq— Valley Creek - Stream - Humboldt
- Craw Knoll - Sq— Knoll - Summit - Lincoln
- Clear Valley - Big Sq— Valley - Basin - Humboldt
- Mud Spring Creek - Sq— Creek - Stream - Mineral
- Rocky Creek - North Fork Sq— Creek - Stream - Elko
- South Fork East Pequop Creek - South Fork East Sq— Creek - Stream - Elko
- North Fork East Pequop Creek - North Fork East Sq— Creek - Stream - Elko
- Kwe'na'a - Sq— Peak - Summit - Mineral
- Koepato To - Sq— Peak - Summit - Humboldt
- Stone Mother - Sq— With a Basket - Pillar - Washoe
- Baa Do'I - Sq— Wells Spring - Spring - Nye
- Doya Goi - Sq—tip - Summit - Nye
- Dembi Gaddi - Sq— Flat - Flat - Nye
- Wassuk Creek - Little Sq— Creek - Stream - Mineral
- Murry Point - Sq— Point - Summit - White Pine
- Granite Mountain Reservoir - Sq— Valley Reservoir - Reservoir - Washoe
- Groundhog Butte - Sq— Tit Butte - Summit - Humboldt
During the public comment period, nearly 70 Tribal governments participated in nation-to-nation consultation to recommend new names, the department said.
“The renaming effort included several complexities: evaluation of multiple public or Tribal recommendations for the same feature; features that cross Tribal, federal and state jurisdictions; inconsistent spelling of certain Native language names; and reconciling diverse opinions from various proponents. In all cases, the Task Force carefully evaluated every comment and proposal,” the release said. “Secretary's Order 3404 and the Task Force considered only the sq— derogatory term in its scope.”
The order also created a committee to look into additional derogatory terms. The next steps of that committee will be released in the coming weeks.
HEAR MORE
Nevada Public Radio presented an eight-part podcast series on the culture, issues, and perseverance of Nevada’s Indigenous Peoples.
Episode 2, " The People From Here," discusses this topic.
