September - Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe

FSST SEPTEMBER 2013 NEWSLETTER
SD Board of Geographic Names Meets in Moody County
The SD Board of Geographic
Names, Department of Tribal
Relations Pierre, SD, held a
meeting for their August 27 th
meeting for Moody County at
Royal River Casino, Flandreau,
SD. The five board members
are: JR LaPlante-Chair & Department
of Tribal Relations,
Eileen Bertsch-Department of
Tourism representative, Jay D.
Voight-Director of South Dakota
State Historical Society, June
Hansen-SD Department of
Transportation, and Joe Nadenicek-
Department of Environment
and Natural Resources
Department.
The board discussed renaming
“Squaw Creek” in Moody
County near the town of Trent
and hoped to have Tribal input
and more public involvement if
the meeting was held in Flandreau.
Public Notice went out
to start soliciting a new name in
early July.
The above name is considered
offensive and the SD Board of
Geographic Names requested
public comment on a new name
to replace it. Based on the U.S.
Board of Geographic Names
guidelines, the following principles
apply:
Names descriptive
of
topographic
form, suggested
by
local history,
folklore,
or incident,
or by associated
natural
life or other phenomena are
preferred including American
Indian or other ethnic names
appropriate to the area.
A proposed name should not
duplicate another name in the
state or nearby in an adjoining
state.
If a personal name is proposed,
it must be determined in the
public interest to honor the person
or family for historical or
commemorative reasons.
If a personal name is proposed,
the person or persons must be
deceased for at least five years.
If a personal name is proposed,
it should just include the surname.
This process is intended to
eliminate offensive names. No
name should imply discrimination
or be derogatory to a particular
racial or ethnic group,
gender, or religious group. This
also includes names considered
obscene in a present-day cultural
context.
If the recommended name is
adopted by the SDBGN, additional
information may be
needed to support the recommendation
to the U.S. Board of
Geographical Names. The basic
information requested is a rec-
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ommended name, reason/
justification for the name and
the origin/meaning of the
name.
Carol Robertson and Scott Anderson
attended this Board
meeting for renaming Squaw
Creek. The story behind this
name is that a Native American
woman fell into the flooding
creek when trying to cross
it and drown. The Board prefers
that a Dakota name replace
its present derogatory
name. Scott and Carol will
visit with Tribal Elders and
community members for suggestions.
The Board decided to
extend their waiting time to 35
days for the Tribe to send a
replacement name. Carol will
take this to the Elders and
community members.
Some of the write in names
were: “Bubbling Water Creek,
Sioux Creek, Native American
Creek, Sweet Corn Creek,
Beautiful Creek, Hiawatha
Creek and Squall Creek.” The
SD Board of Geographic
Names will wait for the Flandreau
Santee Sioux Tribe’s
suggested name change.
JR LaPlant met with Carol
Robertson after the meeting
and toured the new FSST
Community Center.
Please send your name change
suggestions to Scott Anderson
or Carol Robertson.-Editor