No using "squa" in Maine

Rice_Cube · 06-19-2009, 04:40 PM

At least in this particular part of Maine, or something...

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1245...?mod=yhoofront

The one lady from Chicago has a good point about not being able to "squawk" or "squabble"

Seems to me they should probably find something else to argue about though

Jessica · 06-19-2009, 06:53 PM

I thought "squaw" just meant an Indian woman.

And I just looked it up:

Squaw is a spelling of an eastern Algonquian Indian morpheme, meaning "woman," that appears in numerous Algonquian dialects variously spelled as squa, skwa, esqua, sqeh, skwe, que, kwa, ikwe, etc. As an English language loan-word, used as a noun or adjective, its present meaning is an indigenous woman of North America, regardless of tribe.

Thom, y'all need lives up there in Maine.

Midas · 06-20-2009, 02:31 AM

Maine isn't the only state sensitive to the word "squaw". In Phoenix, Squaw Peak was officially renamed Piestewa Peak in honor of Army Spc. Lori Ann Piestewa who died in combat in Iraq in 2003. State Route 51 was formerly known as the Squaw Peak Parkway and had its name changed to Piestewa Freeway prior to the mountain being officially renamed.

I still call it Squaw Peak though. That's what I grew up knowing it as. From there you can see the downtown skyline which is pretty cool.

Jessica · 06-20-2009, 03:44 PM

I just don't see the big deal about it. There is Squaw Valley in California, but I don't think anyone has complained about that.

I'll have to research this further to see if somewhere along the line it gained a negative meaning.

NewRomantic · 06-24-2009, 03:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jessica

I just don't see the big deal about it. There is Squaw Valley in California, but I don't think anyone has complained about that.

I'll have to research this further to see if somewhere along the line it gained a negative meaning.

Um, if the INDIANS themselves find the word offensive, is it really gonna matter what you turn up in any research?

Jessica · 06-24-2009, 08:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NewRomantic

Um, if the INDIANS themselves find the word offensive, is it really gonna matter what you turn up in any research?

It does to me, especially if it turns out to be a bullshit reason they're pissed.

Reading the article in it's entirety turns up the fact that they were already SQUABBLING over gambling with the state government in that area, so maybe they decided to take said bullshit reason and run with it.

And they're NATIVE AMERICANS. Don't offend them further. You might get sued for half your land.

NewRomantic · 06-24-2009, 08:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jessica

And they're NATIVE AMERICANS. Don't offend them further. You might get sued for half your land.

BAH! That's a far more offensive term to me than Indians. There WAS no America until we came in and screwed them.

Jessica · 06-24-2009, 08:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NewRomantic

BAH! That's a far more offensive term to me than Indians. There WAS no America until we came in and screwed them.

See? But they prefer that to "Indians". Lord knows why, but whatevah. If they really wanted to be so PC about it all, then they should want to be distinguished by their tribal names, rather than blanket statements like "Native Americans".