AUGUSTA – “That name.” Maine Indians find the word “squaw” so offensive that most rely on this two-word form of oral shorthand to get their message across.

And in more than a dozen little ways, “that name” is slowly being erased from the map of a state where long-held attitudes toward people and places die hard.

In an effort to meet a Feb. 11, 2001, deadline to comply with Maine’s new law requiring the renaming of all geographic features containing the word “squaw or “squa,” most municipal officials and county commissioners are scrambling to conjure up new names that reflect community sentiments.

But that’s not always an easy task and some boards have taken some surprising approaches to eliminate a word that many American Indians believe is synonymous with “prostitute” or an unflattering reference to female anatomy. Still, in other cases, some towns have chosen to do nothing at all.

Maine’s best known geographic feature containing “squaw” is Big Squaw Mountain in Greenville, a longtime destination for skiers who flock to the Squaw Mountain Resort owned by Florida businessman Jim Confalone. Last week, the Piscataquis County commissioners voted to substitute the word “moose” for “squaw” in each of the 12 geographic sites in that county. Pending approval by a special state panel, the Big Squaw Mountain landmark will soon be known as Big Moose Mountain.

The change is apt to create an identity crisis for Confalone, who sharply disagrees with the Indians’ interpretation of “squaw.” Under the new state law, private businesses may use “squaw” in their title if they choose. Confalone has vowed he will not change the name of his ski resort, a position Maine Indian activists are trying desperately to reverse. Earlier this month, the Northeast Woodlands Division of the American Indian Movement sent a letter to Greenville Town Manager John Simko urging the Town Council to intercede in the matter and “apply gentle persuasion” in an effort to get Confalone to reconsider.

Simko said he shared the AIM letter with councilors at a recent meeting.

“They didn’t show any interest whatsoever,” he said “No action was taken by the board and no action’s been taken by me to date.”

Donald Soctomah, a moving force behind the statewide legislation and the Passamaquoddy tribal representative to the Maine House of Representatives, said the tribe also planned to send Confalone a letter.

“Regardless, it will change with time,” he predicted. “Because eventually the new name will be the one associated with the region.”

Piscataquis County Commissioner Gordon Andrews said local sentiment ran against changing the region’s landmark names, but commissioners felt they had little choice but to comply with the law passed during this spring’s legislative session. He said he felt pretty good about the moose substitution, since Moosehead Lake dominates the region. He did agree, however, there was one instance in which “moose” might not make the grade. Two mountains in Township 3, Range 11 WELS known as Squaw’s Bosom seem to beg for further deliberation.

“I guess we never gave that one a thought,” he said. “Moose’s bosom? Hmm. That might not be too good. I guess we’ll be talking about that one some more.”

Farther north in Aroostook County, the county commissioners found a more creative way to change the way the word looks on the map, but not the way it sounds. All six sites carry the word “squa” but only one, Squapan Township, is distinguished as a single word. All the others, like Squa Pan Lake, feature “squa” in a two-word designation. On the basis of research undertaken by state Rep. John L. Martin, D-Eagle Lake, the commissioners were convinced that when “squa” was used in a two-word place name, it referred to an Indian woman. When the word is incorporated into squapan, however, it means something completely different in the Micmac and Iraquoian language: in effect, “bear’s den.”

As a result, the county commissioners renamed all the Squa Pan sites Squapan.

“We were informed of this by John Martin and he had done some research on this,” said Roland D. Martin, administrator for the Aroostook County commissioners. “But the bottom line is that it means bear den.”

“If they want to combine the words, that’s acceptable, because it changes the whole meaning of the word,” Soctomah said. “And the spelling is also quite different than the offensive word.”

Ironically, two of the geographic locations containing “squaw” are on land owned by Maine’s Indians. A small speck of land in the middle of the Penobscot River in Greenbush Township is called White Squaw Island and is the property of the Penobscot Indian Nation. Chief Richard Hamilton said his people will meet next month to rename the island.

“We could have changed it 20 years ago if we had wanted to,” Hamilton said. “I don’t know why we didn’t except that there was no reason to do it. Now, all of a sudden, it’s repulsive to us. I guess we just weren’t really conscious of it until it came up in the Legislature.”

The Passamaquoddy Tribe purchased a small pond in Franklin County’s Lowelltown Township in the mid-1980s known as Squaw Pond. Soctomah said the tribe renamed it Sipun Pond five years ago. Translated from Passamaquoddy it means “Blackfly Pond.”

The tribal representative to the Legislature said he believed efforts to eliminate “squaw” in other areas of the state were proceeding well, with a few exceptions. Calls to Standish, home of Squaw Island, and Stockton Springs, which features Squaw Head and Squaw Point on the map, revealed officials in both towns remain convinced no action is necessary. Maintaining all three locations are privately owned, the municipal officials said they lacked the jurisdiction to deal with the issue.

“I don’t believe that’s correct if these places are within a municipality, that’s not the same as a private business,” said Diana Scully, executive director of the Maine Indian Tribal-State Commission. “We, or anyone, could file a complaint with the Maine Human Rights Commission under state law to challenge that. At the very least, I suspect we’ll be sending them a letter.”

Finally, the state of Maine itself has been rather slow in addressing its roadside sign near Skowhegan which gives directions to the Squaw Mountain resort. State Department of Transportation officials said they are waiting for the new name to become official before that sign is changed.

More than 150 miles down the interstate on the Maine Turnpike in York, another large green sign gives tourists directions to Moosehead Lake and Squaw Mountain. Dan Paradee of the MTA said Tuesday the authority could have acted quickly to paint over “Squaw Mountain” to conform with the law. But strangely, the same legislative machinery that demands conformance with the “squaw law” also prevents altering the York directional sign.

Unlike other signs posted on the turnpike, the Moosehead Lake-Squaw Mountain sign was established by law as the result of a bill strongly supported by former Senate President Charlie Pray, D-Millinocket. It may require special action by the incoming 120th Legislature to rectify the problem since current law specifically states that the words “Squaw Mountain” must appear on the sign.

“So my guess is that we’re going to be in conflict with the law if we change anything,” said Paradee, a former senate legislative aide. “I don’t think we have the authority to change it as long as the words are specifically stated in law.”

Soctomah said he believed the sign issue would be resolved and that, ultimately, Maine’s Indians and non-Indians will develop a better understanding of each other.

“This issue needed to come out to show the wide difference between the two cultures,” he said. “Because of this, white people have begun to reconsider their lack of understanding for Native Americans.”

List of known geographic features with the name “squaw” or “squa”

AROOSTOOK COUNTY

Squapan Township Squa Pan Lake, Ashland, Masardis, Squapan Township, T11 R4 WELS Squa Pan Inlet, Castle Hill, T11 R4 WELS Squa Pan Stream, Masardis Squa Pan Knob (Mountain), Squapan Township Squa Pan, Ashland, Masardis

CUMBERLAND COUNTY

Squaw Island, Standish (island in Sebago Lake)

FRANKLIN COUNTY

Squaw Pond, Lowelltown Township

PENOBSCOT COUNTY

White Squaw Island, Greenbush Township (part of Penobscot Reservation)

PISCATAQUIS COUNTY

Big Squaw Township Little Squaw Township Big Squaw Mountain in Big Squaw Township Little Squaw Mountain in Little Squaw Township Big Squaw Pond in Little Squaw Township Little Squaw Pond in Little Squaw Township Squaw Brook in Big Squaw Township and Little Squaw Township Little Squaw Brook in Little Squaw Township Middle Squaw Brook in Big Squaw Township Squaw Bay, Moosehead Lake in Big Squaw Township Squaw Point, Moosehead Lake in Big Squaw Township Squaw’s Bosom, T3 R11 WELS

WALDO COUNTY

Squaw Head, Stockton Springs (island in Penobscot Bay) Squaw Point, Stockton Springs (point on Cape Jellison)

WASHINGTON COUNTY

Squaw Cap, Lubec Squaw Island, No. 21 Township (island in Big Lake)