New York renamed island named after female genitalia

The "offensive" name of the island in upstate New York has been officially changed. Edition Syracuse reports that Squaw Island has been renamed Scano Island.

It's tiny islandlocated at the city pier on Lake Canandaigua. “Skenoh”, pronounced “skan-o”, is translated in the language of Onandova'ga (Seneca) as “health” or “peace”.

The US Geographic Names Board approved the name change for Scano Island last week. The Council previously received recommendations from the New York State Geographical Names Committee, the New York State Museum and the Commissioner of the New York State Department of Environmental Protection. The Canandaigua City Council also passed a resolution in support of the “offensive” name change last year.

Reason for name change

The change takes effect immediately. The name will be updated on the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) and on federal maps later this fall.

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Historian J. Peter Jamison explained that he proposed a new name because the term "squaw" in Native American language means the name of a woman's intimate parts with an offensive connotation.

“It's humiliating, but it's almost like a curse. It's almost like an insult to women. And so removing the old name helps us to perceive the island easier, ”said Dr. Joe Stahlman, director of the Seneca and Iroquois National Museum.

There is no data on how and why the island was named after the female genitalia.

According to database of historical placesCanandaigua is the birthplace of the Seneca Indian nation, and the island, which has eroded over time and is now the smallest park in New York, was used by the Seneca as a refuge during the invasion of General Sullivan in 1779.

Edward Randolph, whose ancestry includes the Seneca and Onondaga tribes, was the first to suggest changing the name of the island.

“It will be the beginning of correcting the mistakes of the past,” Randolph said. “While the name change process has been difficult, it pales in the face of the challenges the Native American community has and will continue to face in the future. Change will not bring back the missing and killed... We hope this decision will bring some peace to their community. ”

Scano Island is not the only island to have previously used the offensive term "squaw". Another island park, also called Squaw in Buffalo, was renamed Unity Island in 2015. There is also Squaw Island in Tioga County on the Susquehanna River. And the family of the late President John F. Kennedy had a residence on Squaw Island in the port of Hyannis, Massachusetts.