NEWS

On March 8th Indigenous Peoples Literature published my article Restore Native Names To Sacred Sites .

On March 13th Indigenous Peoples Literature (IPL) posted a statement about my IPL article Restore Native Names To Sacred Sites . Click Re: Restore Native Names To Sacred Sites to view the statement.

On April 16, 2012, Arizona's largest state-wide daily newspaper, The Arizona Republic, publish an article by Dennis Wagner, titled, Tribes embrace native names to preserve culture; its subtitle is: Return to original place names preserves cultures, fixes wrongs. The article is about a national movement to preserve Native culture...by replacing derogatory English place names, such as Squaw, Redskins, Savages, etc., with (preferably) their original Native names and also restoring Native names to sacred places/sites. This same article is published on the USA Today newspaper's website. At this website it is titled: ancient echoes: tribes embrace native names .

A few quotes from the article read:

"Indigenous words denote a sense of culture, and their use reflects an evolving trend in Indian country. Still, as tribes attempt to resurrect history and instill pride through native place names, they face a gamut of political, practical and financial obstacles from Alaska to Arizona."

"Basso, a retired University of New Mexico professor who once lived among the Apaches, says he does not see a coordinated movement to rename landmarks in Indian country, but a diffuse trend. Some tribes struggle with the issue because few members speak the native tongue, or because indigenous place names have been long forgotten."

"Manley Begay, a professor of American Indian studies at the University of Arizona, says the phenomenon appears to be catching on nationally, in part because of increased cultural awareness in mainstream society."

Dennis Wagner interviewed me for the article. Mr. Wagner is a reporter at The Arizona Republic and correspondent for USA Today, the widest circulated print newspaper in the United States. The article includes a segment titled, Translation of insults, in it there are three paragraphs about my effort to change several Minnesota place names. "Snake River" and "Rum River" where mentioned.

My effort to change the faulty-translation and insulting place name ["Rum River"] is also an effort to return or restore the orginal sacred Dakota/Lakota/Native name [Wakan] to this river or sacred place/site.

The mentioned above "three paragraphs" are presented below.

Thomas Dahlheimer, a Minnesota activist, helped promote an unsuccessful bill in his state that would have changed several place names, including "Snake River" and "Rum River."

Dahlheimer, who is not Native American, says those words are English-language translations of insulting names directed at Lakota tribes by rival Indian groups. In fact, he adds, the "Sioux" name is a foreign misnomer for Lakota people.

Dahlheimer says the legislation was stymied in part by Indian groups: "They were concerned about getting people mad at them in the dominant culture, and not going to the casinos."