New California bill would force this Fresno County community to change its ‘offensive name’
A proposed state law would require the term “squaw” to be removed from all geographic features and place names in California.
There are about 100 places in the state that include that word, including at least one community in Fresno County that has already faced criticism and a push to change its name.
The proposal, Assembly Bill 2022, would also require state and local government bodies to work with the California Advisory Committee on Geographic Names to find replacement names. The committee would also establish a procedure for receiving name recommendations from residents in the area as well as from representatives of tribes.
The bill was introduced on Monday by Assemblymembers James C. Ramos, a Democrat from San Bernardino County and a member of the Serrano/Cahuilla tribes, and Cristina Garcia, a Democrat from Bell Gardens.
“For decades, Native Americans have argued against the designation’s use because behind that expression is the disparagement of Native women that contributes to the crisis of missing and murdered people in our community,” Ramos said in a news release. Ramos is also the first and only California Native American serving in the state’s legislature.
Fresno Democratic Assemblymember Dr. Joaquin Arambula, who also coauthored the bill, said it was time to “end this historical wrong” in an email statement to The Bee.
Arambula said he had communicated with the local “Change S Valley” coalition that wants to rename the Fresno County census-designated place, Squaw Valley, and supports their efforts.
“I have met with Mr. (Roman) Rain Tree about this issue, and I wanted to coauthor the bill because it simply is time to change the name,” said Arambula. “The word is a debasing term against Indigenous women, and it is degrading every time it is uttered or shown on a sign.”
The bill’s announcement comes months after U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland formally declared the term derogatory last November and announced she would take action to remove the word from federal public lands. A newly established Federal Advisory Committee will facilitate a proactive and expedited review of the federal name change proposals.
If passed, the bill would go into effect on Jan. 1, 2024.
Fresno County and state Indigenous community react to the bill
The local “Change S Valley” coalition celebrated the announcement of the proposed AB 2022.
“It means that California legislators agree with Sec. Haaland and want to scrub the word from all American geographic features,” said Rain Tree. He added that he thinks “it is further evidence of the lack of leadership of our Fresno County Board of Supervisors to ignore a community discussion.”
Supervisor Nathan Magsig, who oversees the area, has said that he’s supportive of a community discussion of a name change in Squaw Valley but that Rain Tree would have to organize a conversation.
Because of the impasse of local dialogue, in January, the coalition submitted a formal name change request to the U.S. Board on Geographic Names.
Morning Star Gali, a member of the Pit River Tribe and project director for Restoring Justice for Indigenous People — one of AB 2022’s sponsors — also celebrated the bill’s announcement in an interview with The Bee on Wednesday.
“People have been chipping away at (offensive name changes) one at a time,” said Gali.
She also addressed the arguments used in defense of place names like Squaw Valley.
In 2022, said Gali, “it shouldn’t even be a counterargument that somehow we’re being honored and respected through the native mascotry and swear words such as that.”
Gali’s aunt, Shirley Guevara, 71, vice chairperson of the Dunlap Band of Mono Indians, said the renaming of “S Valley” is a long-time coming and that this bill could help “if it goes through.”
Guevara recalled efforts in the 1990s to rename the Valley but that there wasn’t political will at the time. “I’m really glad that he’s (Ramos) finally being supportive and stepping up with the natives in California,” said Guevara, who emphasized she not speaking on behalf of the council.
Guevara’s daughter, Taweah Garcia, who also serves on the tribal council, said she wants to see “any name other than the S word.” Garcia said the local Indigenous community in Dunlap is reminded of the word every day when they travel to Squaw Valley.
“This is in our face every day,” said Garcia, speaking as an Indigenous woman and not on behalf of the council, “and it’s not okay.”
Coalition leader vyes for Devin Nunes’ vacant seat
On Thursday, Rain Tree announced his candidacy for the 22nd congressional district as a write-in candidate. He’s running on a platform to champion federal acknowledgment for all of the district’s tribes.
Rain Tree, a member of the Dunlap Band of Mono Indians and Choinumni People, neither of which are federally recognized tribes, said that the lack of federal recognition has repercussions for the local Indigenous people.
“Today, the continued legacy of denying tribal sovereignty has culminated into a cultural genocide through bureaucracy,” said Rain Tree, who added that Fresno and Tulare counties have high proportions of non-federally recognized tribes.
He and other local Indigenous community members recall that in 2007, Nunes introduced a bill to reaffirm federal recognition of the Dunlap Band of Mono Indian Tribe, cosponsored by Jim Costa. The bill did not receive a vote.
Rain Tree joins Democrats Eric Garcia from Clovis and Lourin Hubbard from Fresno in the running for the seat, as well four Republican candidates: Connie Conway of Tulare, Elizabeth Heng of Fresno, Michael Maher of Visalia, and Matthew Stoll, also of Visalia.
The winner will finish the rest of Nunes’ term, which means they will be in Congress for about six months before the new legislative session.
This story was originally published February 17, 2022 at 12:53 PM.
