'Racist Slur' For Native Women Removed From Name Of Brook In Wyckoff

WYCKOFF, NJ — Squaw Brook, flowing south from Wyckoff into a Passaic River tributary in North Haledon, was just officially renamed to get rid of the word "squaw," which the federal government has deemed derogatory.

Now renamed First Brook, the stream was renamed in response to a Department of the Interior Secretarial Order signed last year declaring the term "squaw" derogatory and implementing procedures to remove the term from federal usage.

Historically, the term, the Interior Department said, has been used as an "offensive ethnic, racial and sexist slur, particularly for Indigenous women."

The stream, whose northern tip is adjacent to Saint Barsawmo Syriac Orthodox Church in Wyckoff, is one of nearly 650 geographic features getting a new name due to their use of the word "squaw," according to the list of replacement names on the U.S. Geological Survey website.

A task force chaired by the USGS reviewed public feedback and consulted with Native American tribes in considering replacement names, which were then submitted to the federal Board of Geographic Names for replacement, the order signed by Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland said.

“I feel a deep obligation to use my platform to ensure that our public lands and waters are accessible and welcoming,” Haaland said in a statement. “That starts with removing racist and derogatory names that have graced federal locations for far too long."