A California ski resort that hosted the 1960 Winter Olympic Games announced Monday it changed its name after its old moniker was deemed racially offensive and misogynistic.
“More than one year ago, we came to the conclusion that it was time to change our name. The reasons were clear — the old name was derogatory and offensive,” the newly christened Palisades Tahoe said in a statement on its website. “It did not stand for who we are or what we represent. And we could not in good conscience continue to use it. So we began a long and difficult process.”
Palisades Tahoe was previously named Squaw Valley, and problems arose given the etymology of the word “squaw,” the website for the resort said.
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“Early examples of the use of the word squaw, and the Princess vs. Squaw Stereotype, give insight into the common and longstanding derogatory use of the word,” according to the website.
One example is James Fenimore Cooper’s reference to “the crafty ‘squaw’ … the squalid and withered person of this hag” in his 1826 work The Last of the Mohicans.
Palisades Tahoe said it worked widely with the local community to find a name worthy of the area’s history.
“We dug hard and deep to find a name and identity that would do justice to this place and its legacy,” the statement read. “We are very proud of our resort’s new name. It encompasses both of our mountains, captures the individuality of our people, and welcomes all guests to take part in our new chapter.”
It is widely held the ski resort was initially named “Squaw Valley” in reference to Edward Scott’s 1960 work titled Squaw Valley, Palisades Tahoe’s website added.
The word “squaw” is now listed and “accepted as offensive, derogatory, racist, and misogynistic by the vast majority of modern sources and references.”
Several local Native American groups have long taken issue with the old name.
“We have been in the area for thousands of years. Olympic Valley is within the ancestral homeland of the Washoe people. The word itself is a constant reminder of the unjust treatment of the native people, of the Washoe people,” said Darrel Cruz of the Washoe Tribe Historic Preservation Office. “It’s a constant reminder of those time periods when it was not good for us. It’s a term that was inflicted upon us by somebody else, and we don’t agree with it.”
Palisades Tahoe President and COO Dee Byrne said he is proud to lead the resort into a new era.
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“It is inspiring that after seven decades in operation, a company as storied and established as this resort can still reflect and adjust when it is the necessary and right thing to do,” he said. “This name change reflects who we are as a ski resort and community.”
