Squaw Valley, Ca January 29, 2021 — Rename Squaw Valley California is an initiative spearheaded by Squaw Valley community member Roman Rain Tree. Growing up in Squaw Valley is both his most treasured memory and also amongst his most painful. The S-word (squaw) is a racially derogatory term used to describe an indigenous woman’s genitalia. Squaw Valley Fresno County is a place where MMIW cases resulting from sexual assault are rarely investigated if at all. For Roman, the name of this largely unincorporated valley was a 40 year slap in the face and blatant disregard for the lives and legacies of Central Valley Indigenous women. In July of 2020, with the support of his non-profit Seeds of Sovereignty, Roman Rain Tree decided to take on the daunting task of honoring the MMIW of Central Valley California by changing the name once and for all. The issue as to whether or not the S-word is a derogatory term is no longer up for debate. It has been established in multiple states and the US Forest service as well as other parts of California as being a derogatory term that disparages Native American women.
The question as to whether there is community support to change the name of Squaw Valley, Fresno County California has also been affirmatively answered. The Rename Squaw Valley petition on Change.org has garnered over 400 signatures. According to a representative in Fresno County District 5 Board Supervisor Nathan Magsig’s office, there have been multiple attempts over the past 5 years to change the name. Clearly, the name change is something that the community wants but has yet to be acted upon by local officials.
In July of 2020, a representative of Nathan Magsig’s office provided Roman Rain Tree with a road map he needed to follow to pursue a name change. The information given is as follows: 1. Start a petition to show community support 2. Suggest a new name and a reason why 3. Conduct a public forum to discuss the name change. This process must be initiated by a community resident of Squaw Valley.
August 29, 2020, Roman set out to follow the steps in the road map he was given. He started the Rename Squaw Valley petition on Change.org and subsequently started a Facebook page for the initiative to hold future, virtual community forums.
December 9, 2020, Roman Rain Tree sought the community support of the Orange Cove City Council at their bi-weekly meeting. He immediately received emphatic support from the Council. Orange Cove Mayor Victor Lopez specifically requested a written resolution for signature to be taken back to Nathan Magsig’s office.
December 17, 2020 Roman submitted the requested written resolution to June Bracamontes.
January 27 2021 a copy of the agenda for the City Council meeting that evening was posted in a Facebook Group. There, multiple racially disparaging comments against Native Americans in response to the name change had to be removed by Admins and Moderators. Within that same Facebook Group, a niche European American group organized to speak out against the name change due to their sentimental attachment to the racial and misogynistic slur. Once again, the voices of a few European Americans were allowed to silence the voices of many Central Valley’s MMIW.
Yet still Roman Rain Tree continues to press on, refusing to allow the continuation of the dishonoring of Central Valley’s MMIW allowing a valley to be named after a slur often times used to torment Indigenous women during an assault.
Changing the name to Nïm Valley identifies and honors the first inhabitants of our homeland in local Western Mono indigenous languages. Nïm is a universal word among Western Mono bands that simply means “the people”. This name was chosen to encompass all of Squaw Valley’s residents rather than specifically target and disparage its female indigenous inhabitants. In a time when the number of MMIW Murdered and Missing Indigenous women is reaching an all-time high, most commonly due to sexual assault, we simply cannot continue to allow a slur like Squaw to continue to exist just because the descendants of colonial oppressors are sentimental about the conquests of their ancestors.