Removal of “Sq_ Word” on National Map
A Kumeyaay name restored is Mat Puy Nah Achhuukaayp in Ocotillo Wells State Vehicular Recreation Area. In Kumeyaay Ipai, this name translates to "the place over there where we go to trade."
The United States Board on Geographic Names announced September 8, 2022, the removal from our National Map of over 600 instances of the “Sq_ Word,” an offensive ethnic, racial, and sexist slur referring to Native American women. This was the culmination of an effort initiated late last year by U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland. State Parks’ Reexamining Our Past leadership team responded to the secretary’s order by creating an inventory of place names within our system, allowing timely action by district staff to identify appropriate replacement names for these features.
In all, six features were renamed within the State Park System, including four restored Native names identified through consultation between district staff and Native Tribes and organizations. Read the September 9, 2022 Weekly Digest "What's New" section for more details.
The process of Reexamining Our Past continues as State Parks works together with Tribes to remove derogatory and inaccurate names and materials from our system, while restoring Native names and other significant aspects of California's cultural heritage.
To read the U.S. Department of Interior’s press release, click here.
Humboldt Redwoods and Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park
Humboldt Redwoods and Prairie Creek Redwoods state parks have added new interpretive signage regarding the racist legacy of some of the parks’ founding members that are currently honored in the parks’ redwood groves. Learn more at www.parks.ca.gov/FoundersGrove.
A 1948 memorial honoring Madison Grant in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park has also been removed. The large stone monument was removed by an excavator during a small ceremony on June 15, 2021, attended by California State Parks and National Park Service leaders, history scholars, and representatives of the Yurok Tribe and Save the Redwoods League. The ceremony focused on both acknowledging the past while creating a more inclusive and equitable park system for the future. To learn more, read our press release.