TPS celebrates “A Guide to Changing Racist and Offensive Place Names” Release

The Wilderness Society and the National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers have released A Guide to Changing Racist and Offensive Place Names. The Wilderness Society hired Tahoma Peak Solutions to ensure the report accurately captured Indigenous perspectives and connects to land and places. Tahoma Peak Solutions congratulates NATHPO and TWS on this incredible report that will ultimately lead to a more equitable and inclusive outdoors.

“Every acre of the United States has a rich Indigenous history,” said Tahoma Peak cofounder and partner Maria Givens (Coeur d’Alene). “Unfortunately, some of our most incredible places carry names that do not honor that connection and even offend Indigenous peoples. The Guide to Changing Racist and Offensive Place Names will help community leaders in every corner of the country to ensure that our outdoor places respectfully reflect the histories of America’s Indigenous peoples. We look forward to the positive change that will surely follow in the wake of the release of this report.”

Across the United States, thousands of mountains, rivers, lakes and other features on public lands bear racist and offensive names. From tributes to Confederate leaders, to ethnic and misogynistic slurs, these names perpetuate a violent and oppressive history of colonization and make public lands less welcoming.

To help address this issue, The National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers (NATHPO) and The Wilderness Society have co-sponsored a guide that aims to make it easier for First Nations, grassroots organizations, local leaders and the general public to change offensive and derogatory places names on public lands. “A Guide to Changing Racist and Offensive Place Names in the United States” summarizes the scope of the problem, outlines which place names can be changed and provides a step-by-step manual on the renaming process.

Download the report here.

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