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"Jay DeLong" <jdelong at nwifc_wa.gov>: NANFA-- offensive fish name
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From: "Jay DeLong" <jdelong at nwifc_wa.gov>
To: nanfa at aquaria_net
Subject: NANFA-- offensive fish name
Date: Tue, 11 Nov 1997 13:47:34 +0000
Message-ID: <199711112150.NAA18452 at chinook_nwifc.wa.gov>
> Would someone look up whether "squawfish" is the currently accepted
Bureau of
> Fisheries common name for this fish (also what's its scientific name,
for us
> easterners)?
Yes, it's currently accepted. The Northern squawfish (Ptychocheilus
oregonensis) and the Colorado squawfish (P. lucius) are different
species.
> The word "squaw" denoting a female Native American is extremely
offensive to
> many native Americans.
> The word is supposed to be a shortened form of something like
> "sunkasquaw", a word in a New England or Middle Atlantic Algonkian
> language, and the original word may have been an honorific at one
> time. (I can probably get more information on this point from a
> couple of online Algonkianists I know.)
The term squaw is indeed offensive to Indians. I've also heard it
may have been taken from a derogatory French term.
> But this fish probably needs a new common name, if it hasn't already
got one.
There is indeed a movement to have the common name changed to
bigmouth minnow or something like that. I'll get back to you shortly
with some details.
Regards.
Jay DeLong
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