Editing Yokuts Valley, California (section)

==Name==
The Chukimena, the [[Yokuts]] tribe that occupied the valley before American colonization, named it Múshtihnau, after their main village.<ref>{{cite book |last=Latta |first=Frank |date=1978 |title=Handbook of Yokuts Indians |publisher=Bear State Books |pages=169 |isbn=9781892622099 }}</ref> The nearby Éntimbits Yokuts tribe called the valley, Túcheu.<ref>{{cite book |last=Latta |first=Frank |date=1978 |title=Handbook of Yokuts Indians |publisher=Bear State Books |pages=167 |isbn=9781892622099 }}</ref> The label "Valley" originally referred to either the surrounding basin or a narrow valley that connects it to the [[San Joaquin Valley]]. Today it refers to both. The basin may have originally been named "Woman's Land", after a depression in a rock overlooking the valley that resembles a woman's [[moccasin]] print. By 1873, non-native hunters adapted the name in English to "Squaw Valley", because "[[squaw]]" was the term used by white settlers for Indigenous women; it is considered a slur by natives.<ref name="Bee George">{{cite news|title=Native Americans want Squaw Valley, Fresno County CA renamed|first=Carmen|last=George|work=[[The Fresno Bee]]|date=February 20, 2021|accessdate=September 28, 2022|url=https://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/article248852289.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=In Fresno County, Native groups take on meaning of 'Squaw' and 'Warrior'|first=Cresencio|last=Rodriguez-Delgado|work=[[PBS NewsHour]]|date=February 15, 2022|accessdate=October 8, 2022|url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/in-fresno-county-native-groups-take-on-meaning-of-squaw-and-warrior}}</ref><ref name="BGN QRL 448">{{cite journal|title=Change Sq__ Valley to Yokuts Valley|journal=Quarterly Review List|publisher=United States Board on Geographic Names|location=Washington, D.C.|issue=448|date=August 5, 2022|pages=30–33|accessdate=October 8, 2022|url=https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/media/files/Review%20List%20448%20%283%29.pdf#page=31}}</ref> The [[United States Board on Geographic Names]] (BGN) officially assigned the name "Squaw Valley" to the community in 1957 and to the basin in 1959.<ref name="BGN QRL 448" />

On August 28, 1958, at the behest of Representative [[B. F. Sisk]], the BGN decided that "Squaw Valley" would only refer to this community, not to a newer community in [[Placer County, California|Placer County]] that was about to host the [[1960 Winter Olympics]]. The latter would become known as [[Olympic Valley, California|Olympic Valley]].<ref>{{cite report|language=en|title=Hearings and Special Reports Made by Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives on Subjects Affecting the Naval and Military Establishments|publisher=[[w:United States Government Printing Office|United States Government Printing Office]]|location=Washington, D.C.|date=1958|page=5067|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8I80z2mG-fAC&pg=PA5067|via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Squaw Valley 'Loses' Name|agency=United Press|work=[[The Press-Tribune]]|location=Roseville, California|date=August 30, 1957|page=2|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/109718884/|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|language=en|title=Tug-Of-War Over Squaw Valley Name Resolved|work=[[Auburn Journal]]|date=October 4, 1958|page=B-4|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/109487056/|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> Nevertheless, the name "Squaw Valley" continued to refer informally to both communities, creating considerable confusion.<ref>{{cite news|title=Olympics Site Still Has Post Office Problem|work=Auburn Journal|agency=JS|date=December 22, 1960|at=p. D-1|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/110449533/|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Challenge issued by county for Squaw Valley name|first=Jim|last=Janssen|work=[[The Press-Tribune]]|location=Roseville, California|date=November 13, 1969|page=1|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/109488963/|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

From 2020 to 2023, a coalition that included members of local tribes petitioned the Fresno County Board of Supervisors to rename the community "Nuum Valley" and later "[[Yokuts]] Valley", citing the derogatory history of the town's previous name.<ref name="BGN QRL 448" /><ref>{{cite news|title=Indigenous group goes to federal board to rename Squaw Valley|first=Lila|last=Seidman|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=January 8, 2022|accessdate=September 17, 2022|url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-01-08/coalition-seeks-to-rename-squaw-valley-in-fresno-county}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Should the community of Squaw Valley change its name?|first=Melissa|last=Montalvo|work=[[CalMatters]]|location=Sacramento, California|date=November 19, 2021|accessdate=September 17, 2022|url=https://calmatters.org/california-divide/2021/11/squaw-valley-rename/}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=California Advisory Committee on Geographic Names Minutes|publisher=California Advisory Committee on Geographic Names|location=Sacramento, California|date=March 25, 2022|accessdate=September 13, 2022|page=13|url=https://cacgn.ca.gov/media/5qgow3zq/cacgn-03-25-2022-final-minutes.pdf#page=13}}</ref>

In September 2022, the Board on Geographic Names renamed the surrounding valley to Yokuts Basin as part of a program to remove "squaw" from geographical names across the country.<ref>{{cite news|title=Squaw removed from place names across US, California by feds|first=Darrell|last=Smith|work=The Sacramento Bee|date=September 8, 2022|accessdate=September 13, 2022|url=https://www.sacbee.com/news/california/article265494211.html}}</ref> A Fresno County Supervisor, Republican [[Nathan Magsig]], solicited feedback from 1,400 households about the proposed renaming and says they prefer Bear Valley.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gomez |first=Melissa |date=2024-01-30 |title=California banned a slur from geographic place names. Fresno County won't let go. |url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-01-30/california-banned-slur-from-geographic-place-names-fresno-county-wont-let-go |access-date=2024-01-30 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref> He organized a [[town hall meeting]] with local activists that turned contentious. Arguments against the name change ranged from procedural to political. Some opposed it simply for the fact that the new name had not been chosen by residents, ironic to the native tribes who still live in the area. Others refused to accept that the word "squaw" is considered derogatory by others. Arguments in favor of the change came from Native activists and white residents of the town who wanted their home cleared of a [[Sexual victimization of Native American women|name that degraded Indigenous women.]]<ref>{{cite news|title=Squaw Valley, CA meeting about name change angers residents|first=Carmen|last=Kohlruss|work=The Fresno Bee|date=September 23, 2022|accessdate=September 28, 2022|url=https://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/article266118166.html}}</ref>

A few days later, Governor [[Gavin Newsom]] signed a law directing state and local authorities to remove "squaw" from geographic features and place names throughout the state, including "Squaw Valley", by 2025.<ref>{{cite news|title=New law will remove the word 'squaw' from California place names|first=Louis|last=Sahagún|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=September 25, 2022|accessdate=September 28, 2022|url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-09-25/new-law-will-remove-the-word-squaw-from-california-place-names}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release|title=On Native American Day, Governor Newsom Signs Legislation to Support California Native Communities, Advance Equity and Inclusion|publisher=Office of the [[Governor of California]]|location=Sacramento, California|date=September 23, 2022|accessdate=September 28, 2022|url=https://www.gov.ca.gov/2022/09/23/on-native-american-day-governor-newsom-signs-legislation-to-support-california-native-communities-advance-equity-and-inclusion/}}</ref> In October, the Fresno County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution that acknowledged the state and federal renaming efforts while notifying the federal government that 87% of households that responded to Supervisor Magsig's survey opposed renaming the community.<ref>{{cite news|title=Supervisors Tell Feds: Squaw Valley Wants to Keep Its Name|first=Liz|last=Juarez|work=GVWire|location=Fresno, California|date=October 12, 2022|accessdate=February 9, 2023|url=https://gvwire.com/2022/10/12/supervisors-tell-feds-squaw-valley-wants-to-keep-its-name/}}</ref>

In January 2023, the Board on Geographic Names completed additional review on renaming the unincorporated populated place to "Yokuts Valley."<ref>{{cite press release|title=Interior Department Completes Vote to Remove Derogatory Names from Five Locations|publisher=[[United States Department of the Interior]]|location=Washington, D.C.|date=January 12, 2023|accessdate=February 9, 2023|url=https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/interior-department-completes-vote-remove-derogatory-names-five-locations}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Federal government votes to rename Fresno County's Squaw Valley|first=Melissa|last=Montalvo|work=[[The Fresno Bee]]|date=January 12, 2023|accessdate=February 10, 2023|url=https://www.fresnobee.com/fresnoland/article271072387.html}}</ref> In February, a prominent welcome sign bearing the previous name was removed, prompting some local residents to call for its restoration.<ref>{{cite news|title=Removal of 'Welcome to Squaw Valley' sign has residents outraged|publisher=[[KMPH-TV]]|location=Visalia, California|date=February 7, 2023|accessdate=February 9, 2023|url=https://kmph.com/news/local/removal-of-welcome-to-squaw-valley-sign-has-residents-outraged}}</ref>