Board of Geographic Names vote to remove offensive slur from federal use in Michigan

The Board of Geographic Names has voted to replace 650 geographic features across the United States that use the offensive term “squ--.”

The board’s final vote was announced Friday. The term has been historically used as an offensive slur for Indigenous women. Officials state the removal of the slur is effective immediately.

“Words matter, particularly in our work to make our nation’s public lands and waters accessible and welcoming to people of all backgrounds. Consideration of these replacements is a big step forward in our efforts to remove derogatory terms whose expiration dates are long overdue,” wrote Secretary Deb Haaland in a news release. “Throughout this process, broad engagement with Tribes, stakeholders and the general public will help us advance our goals of equity and inclusion.”

Below are Michigan locations that have a new name:

1. Squ-- Creek in Saginaw and Tuscola Counties is now named Quanicassee Creek
2. Squ-- Lake in Genesee County is now named Aanikegamaa Lake
3. Squ-- Lake in Oakland County is now named Paint Lake
4. Squ-- Creek in Lenawee County is now named Irish Creek
5. Squ-- Lake in Calhoun County is now named East Cedar Lake
6. Squ-- Lake Drain in Calhoun County is now named East Cedar Lake Drain
7. Squ-- Creek Lake in Calhoun County is now named Little Cedar Lake
8. Squ-- Creek in Ingham County is now named Bullet Creek
9. Squ-- Brook in Barry County is now named Odawa Brook
10. Squ-- Lake in Allegan County is now named Rabbit Lake
11. Squ-- Lake in Kent County is now named Rogue Lake
12. Squ-- Island in Charlevoix County is now named Ojibwa Island
13. Squ-- Creek in Isabella County is now named Isabella Creek
14. Squ-- Island in Chippewa County is now named Mino-kwe minising
15. Squ-- Lake in Lake County is now named Bear Wallow Lake
16. Squ-- Lake in Kalkaska County is now named East Indian Lake
17. Squ-- Bay in Alpena County is now named Birdsong Bay
18. Squ-- Creek Drain in Lapeer County is now named East Fork Evergreen Creek
19. Squ-- Creek in Lapeer County is now named Dollar Creek
20. Squ-- Lake in Lapeer County is now named Evergreen Lake
21. Squ-- Creek in Alger County is now named North Mino-kwe Creek
22. Squ-- Ponds in Alger County is now named Mino-kwe Ponds
23. Squ-- Lake in Alger County is now named Nookomis Lake
24. Squ-- Beach in Ontonagon County is now named Mino-kwe jiigibiik
25. Squ-- Lake in Marquette County is now named Ski-kwe zaag’igan
26. Little Squ-- Lake in Marquette County is now named Mino-kwezenhs zaagigan
27. Squ-- Creek in Dickinson County is now named Nookomis nbi
28. Squ-- Creek in Delta County is now named Nookomis kabekong
29. Squ-- Point in Delta County is now named Mino-kwe Point
30. Squ-- Creek in Delta County is now named South Mino-kwe Creek
31. Little Squ-- Creek in Delta County is now named Shki-kwe Creek

The final vote is a reflection of the Derogatory Geographic Names Task Force, which includes the following: Department’s Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, National Park Service, Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Civil Rights, Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement and the U.S. Geological Survey and the Department of Agriculture’s U.S. Forest Service.

The task force received more than 1,000 recommendations for the name changes.

The list of all the new names can be found here.