Minot Daily News.com
Panel explains Native
American culture: Names like ‘chief’ and ‘squaw’ are hurtful, panelist says
The above website was
taken down???
Anytime different
cultures can get together and have a meaningful discussion about what is
thought to be our differences it is a tremendous blessing for all involved!
That said please, let
us have many more of these discussions all around Indian country and have them
with different people from many different cultures, also a good thing.
Pat Wilkie hates being
called "Chief" and objects to place names like "Squaw
Valley."
Wilkie said
"squaw" is a derogatory word that means "whore" and Native
Americans don't refer to women that way. Wilkie finds the place name offensive
and hurtful. He also doesn't care for the Fighting Sioux nickname at the
University of North Dakota. Wilkie said "Sioux" means
"snake" or "enemy" in the Chippewa tongue.
I have no intention of challenging
their statements however, with your prayers, I would like to add to this.
First, the word chief.
In different parts of
this country a chief has different rolls in their society for instance, a Chief
in a plains Indian tribe is the leader of the people, a chief of my people is
anyone, male or female, assigned as leader of any job for the people by the
Head Clan Mother or Sachem, as soon as that job is complete the name chief is
set aside until the next job.
The meaning of the word
Squaw, like so many of our words has been bastardized through the years by
Europeans to demeanor females.
The word Squaw or as it
should be Squarw has always been a word of praise by a male to a female.
So with that in mind,
Squarw rock happens to be a place of prayer for my people.
We are always open to
this type of discussion when needed.
