squaw

[AAllan at AOL.COM]

[I found this at
http://www.skinet.com:80/news/00/1564.html
 - Allan Metcalf]


Big Squaw Chief Bucks State Lead
By the SAM Resort News
Greenville, ME, Mar. 23--Despite the Maine Legislature's recent decision to
ban the word "squaw" from all state place names, the owner of Big Squaw
Mountain Resort says he has no plans to follow the state's example. In fact,
resort owner James Confalone said earlier this week he felt the state
lawmakers were "ambushed by a small group of Indians." Private properties are
exempt from the state ban.
According to the Associated Press, Confalone has said he would change the
name of his ski resort only if all Maine residents had a chance to vote on
the issue. Confalone has also said that he considers the word a term of
endearment and that he calls his wife "Big Squaw" and his daughter "Little
Squaw." But American Indians who lobbied Maine's legislators argued the word
is offensive and can be construed as meaning "whore." Webster's Collegiate
Dictionary states that the word amounts to "disparaging and offensive slang."
The question that remains is, will Down-East sensitivity reach into
California's Sierra?