South Dakota is attempting to change place names that are seen as offensive to groups such as African-Americans and Native Americans. The state is trying to get rid of places such as "Negro" and "squaw."
South Dakota released a plea for public assistance this month to rename five geographic locations in the state. Those five are just part of 18 places that contain the word "Negro" or "squaw" in the name and are in need of a renaming, Reuters reports.
However the renaming process hasn't been so easy. Some of the names suggested by the South Dakota Board of Geographic Names have been turned down by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names.
"It is hard for us to come up with a good name," June Hansen, a member of the South Dakota Board of Geographic Names told Reuters. Among the places that are in need of a renaming are "Negro Wool Ridge" and "Negro Gulch."
The SD Board tried to rename Negro Creek to Medicine Mountain Creek but the federal naming group turned the suggestion down.
"There is some pretty strict criteria for what the name has to be," said Hansen.
The federal board wants names that focus on local history, folklore, events or natural aspect of the area and the name cannot be the same as another geographic feature in the state or in nearby states.
According to the federal group, the word "Negro" isn't offensive. Squaw isn't offensive either but Jap, the short version of Japanese, is.
South Dakota is just one of a dozen states that have tried to chance names that contain the word Negro or other offensive terms. They include Minnesota, Oregon, Idaho, Florida, Maine, Montana and North Carolina.
States aren't the only ones getting rid of the term Negro. After using it for more than a century, the U.S. Census Bureau is dropping the term from the census survey and will only list the terms "black" or "African-American."
South Dakota has successfully changed some place names since 2001. So far, 20 places with once-offensive names have been renamed.
Some think that the state is being too politically correct but other acknowledge the importance of the name changing, even if it is time-consuming.
"It is easy for us not in the shoes of someone who has had racial slurs used against them... not to understand. But we need to step back and take a look and be sensitive," Jay Vogt, a member of the state renaming board told Reuters.
The state board has reached out to the Sioux tribe to help them rename some areas that contain the word Squaw. Some of the suggestions include Tahc'a Okute Aglehan C'ikala for Little Squaw Humper Table and Tahc'a Okute Mni Onaktake for Squaw Humper Dam.
However some of the board members don't like the names because they can't pronounce them. It is not clear if they will be approved but J.R. LaPlante chairman of the South Dakota naming board, things the names will work out fine.
"They will get used to it eventually," he said.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
