Delete comment from: Boston 1775

J. L. Bell said...

Roger Williams documented the word “squaw” as an Algonkian and Narragansett word for “woman” in 1643. It became English settlers’ term for all Native women, and of course the encroaching European population didn’t treat Native women (or men) well. The sound overlaps with that Iroquois word, which makes its use sound particularly offensive to some ears. But it’s unlikely that the people who applied the word “squaw” to places were thinking about the Iroquois term.

May 12, 2021, 10:20:49 AM

Posted to Preserving Red Jacket’s Peace Medal