At one time or another, most of us have had someone mispronounce our name, snub us with an epithet or swear at us with some derogatory word. Dare I say all of us. We know how it feels and what it does to our sense of self.
Can you empathize when your entire nations, world has been a continuous slur for centuries? I say we can and we have made racial slurs and derogatory words unacceptable when used against each other. And we must continue that non-acceptance with place-names! Dina Gilio-Whitaker gives us the necessary information to continue this fight and to help bring others to it.
Please read the article WHAT’S IN A NAME from Spring 2022’s Sierra!! LINK

Decolonizing Official Place-Names is an Important Step in Making the Landscape Culturally Accessible to Everyone. Dina Gilio-Whitaker (Colville Confederated Tribes) is a lecturer of American Indian Studies at California State University San Marcos and an independent consultant and educator in environmental-justice policy planning. She is the author of As Long As Grass Grows and co-author of All the Real Indians Died Off.