Racist term removed from places on federal lands, including 32 in Michigan

Thirty-two lakes, streams and other federal geographic areas in Michigan have been formally renamed, after the U.S. Department of the Interior last week released new names for 643 locations across the United States.

The name change is the final step in the historic effort launched nearly a year ago by Interior Secretary Deb Haaland after she declared “sq—” a derogatory term because of its historical use as an offensive ethnic, racial and sexist slur for Indigenous women.

“I feel a deep obligation to use my platform to ensure that our public lands and waters are accessible and welcoming,” said Haaland, the first Native American to serve in a presidential cabinet. “That starts with removing racist and derogatory names that have graced federal locations for far too long.”

In Michigan, 32 geographic locations were renamed, including 13 lakes, 11 streams, two canals, two islands, a bay, a beach, a cape and a reservoir. Thirteen of the places are located in the Upper Peninsula.

The name changes come after a lengthy process carried out by the Board on Geographic Names and the Derogatory Geographic Names Task Force, which was established via secretarial order last winter and included tribal and federal representatives.

Since 1947, the U.S. Secretary of the Interior has had joint authority with the Board on Geographic Names and has final approval or review of the board’s actions.

Many of the new names in Michigan are in Anishinaabemowin, the language of the Anishinaabe people rooted in the Great Lakes region. They include Aanikegamaa Lake in Genesee County, Mino-kwe Point in Delta County, Nookomis Lake in Alger County and a lake now called Ski-kwe Zaag’igan in Marquette County.

“I am grateful to the members of the Derogatory Geographic Names Task Force and the Board on Geographic Names for their efforts to prioritize this important work,” Haaland said. “Together, we are showing why representation matters and charting a path for an inclusive America.”

The Derogatory Geographic Names Task Force received more than 1,000 recommendations for name changes during the public comment period, according to the Department of Interior. The task force worked with nearly 70 tribal governments in nation-to-nation consultations, which resulted in several hundred more recommendations. 

After the public comment and tribal consultation periods closed on April 25, the task force reviewed all the information and developed a list of final recommendations, which it submitted to the Board on Geographic Names on July 22.

The board then approved the names during a meeting on Sept. 8. Once the names were decided upon by the board, they are immediately official for federal use, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

A version of this story first ran in the Advance’s sister outlet, the Arizona Mirror.