Two sites in northwest Montana could be renamed under a push by the U.S. Department of the Interior toremove a slur against Native Americans from federal place names.
The agency released suggested replacement names this week for nearly 700 geographic fixtures nationwide that use a derogatory term for Native American women.
Deb Haaland, the first Native American Secretary of the Interior, declared "sq___" a slur last year and called for a review of federal locations that include it.
Among the sites under review are a plain and stream in Flathead County, the only two places in Montana to still bear the derogatory term after the state passed a law years ago to remove it from geographic names.
The interior departmenthas put forward suggested replacement names for each site, including Lefthand Meadow, Little Wolf Creek, Griffin Creek, Grubb Mountain and Lemonade Spring. More than 40 sites in Wyoming that use the slur will also be renamed.
The agency is accepting public comments on the replacement names until April 24.
