Interior secretary bans ‘derogatory’ word ‘squaw’ from federal use

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Interior Secretary Deb Haaland issued an order Friday banning the use of the word “squaw” from federal use for being a “derogatory” term for Native Americans.

Order No. 3404 designates “squaw” as a pejorative word due to its use “as an offensive ethnic, racial, and sexist slur, particularly for Indigenous women.” The order also created a task force to review other derogatory terms in the names of federal lands and monuments.

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