Provo • A new group is beginning a push to change the name of Squaw Peak to something more honorable to Native American women.
The Daily Herald reports the Repeak Committee is leading the effort to remove the word “squaw” from the mountain’s name.
Provo resident Chauma Jansen, who is working with the independent committee, says as a Najavo, Sioux and Assiniboine woman, she believes that the term is both derogatory and demeaning.
The committee is preparing a proposal to send to the U.S. Board on Geographic Name that is responsible for standardizing geographic names.
It hopes to the rename the mountain after a Ute woman.
The committee has reached out to the Ute Indian Tribe for name recommendations and approval.
It hopes to send the proposal by February.