Work underway to eliminate offensive street names in Northern California as deadline looms

By James Taylor, Hunter Sowards

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SACRAMENTO, California (KOVR) — From changing offensive names on streets to revising lessons taught at historical sites, work is underway to acknowledge past mistreatment of Native Americans.

Tribal members from across California are participating in this year’s celebration of Native American culture at the state capitol and there’s been a lot of efforts recently to re-examine the treatment of Native Americans.

“The history that’s been written up to this point has been written without the voice of California’s first people,” San Bernadino democratic assembly member John Ramos said. Ramos authored a law requiring the name Squaw to be removed from all geographical places in California. West Sacramento, Woodland, Citrus Heights, Sacramento, Placer, and El Dorado counties all currently have streets with this term and this week is the deadline to submit proposed name changes to the state. “It was a derogatory name to Native American women. That’s what the settlers and the gold rush people only called us,” said Terisa Yonemura, a tribal member.

Other efforts are being made to honor Native American culture:

– There is now a monument in Capitol Park. – The names of some schools have been changed. Many government meetings now begin with a Native American land acknowledgment. – Sutter’s Fort is also changing its interpretive plan, which now takes a closer look at the impact early pioneers had on indigenous people.

There’s also a push to change the name of the Sutter Buttes. Tribal leaders say it’s important to honor the people who have lived on this land for centuries.

West Sacramento has already voted to rename its street Tebti. Sacramento County and Citrus Heights have not announced their new names yet.