MACHIAS – After a complaint was filed with the Maine Human Rights Commission, the Washington County commissioners have decided to change the name Squaw Island near Grand Lake Stream to Epahsakom, which means in the middle of the lake.

In the Waldo County town of Stockton Springs, which also is named in the complaint, the names Squaw Point and Squaw Head still are used, John Dieffenbacher-Krall said in his complaint filed in July. Dieffenbacher-Krall is executive director of the Maine Indian Tribal-State Commission.

Seven years ago, then-Gov. Angus King signed a bill into law requiring place names such as Squaw Pond to be changed. The change affected about two dozen places, including mountains, waterways, lakes, ponds and islands. The new law did not affect private entities such as the Squaw Mountain ski resort in Greenville.

Tribal state Rep. Donald Soctomah said this week that when the bill was moving through the Legislature, it was a learning experience for the whole state.

“It was a lack of understanding what the word meant,” he said.

Tribes in the state believe the word “squaw,” which roughly translated means “whore,” is demeaning to Indian women. “It has a long history associated with [the word],” he said. “It is demeaning and demoralizing, and it is used in a very bad way to attack our native women and young girls.”

Washington County commissioners voted recently to change the name of the island near Grand Lake Stream.

“You can praise Washington County,” Dieffenbacher-Krall said. “Washington County has decided to fix this situation, which is really our preference. We do not want to drag this into court.”

Soctomah also praised the commission and the town. He said he believes the commission would have changed the name sooner, but it appears the name just fell through the cracks. “I believe it was just missed,” he said.

County Manager Linda Pagels-Wentworth said Tuesday that changing the name was the right thing to do.

Although H.C. Haynes Inc., a large forestry holding company, owns the island, the company apparently is not concerned about the name change. She said the commissioners approached the town, who in turn approached the landowner. “The town had no feelings whatsoever, but thought it would be nice to contact the family, but there was no communications relayed back to us, so we proceeded with renaming it,” she said.

Also named in the Human Rights Commission complaint is Stockton Springs on the shores of Penobscot Bay.

“There is a homeowners association [in Stockton Springs] that has dug in their heels; they chose to engage in debate about what squaw means,” Dieffenbacher-Krall said. “I find that problematic.”

Five landmarks or groups use the name Squaw in one form or another in Stockton Springs. For a number of years, a private road providing access to exclusive waterfront homes was called Squaw Point Road. The homes belonged to the Squaw Point Home Owners Association. In response to complaints, the association renamed itself and its road Squapoint.

“All those are on private land, and the town’s position is that we prefer the landowner to tell us the name they want to be called,” Stockton Springs Town Manager Joseph Hayes said this week. “The town in the past has not imposed its will on the private landowner in Stockton.”

The town itself also had three geographical locations using the word Squaw: Squaw Head, Squaw Island and Squaw Point. In response to the complaint, the Board of Selectmen voted this summer to change their spelling and rename the areas Squahead, Squaisland and Squapoint.

“By state law, the selectmen are responsible for renaming geographical points if they are offensive,” Hayes said.

He added that a term one person may find pejorative, another might not. He said a female employee in the town office is of Lakota ancestry and has no problem with the term “squaw.” He said she had a close friend who was a member of the Penobscot tribe who frequently called her “squaw.” “She does not view it as offensive,” Hayes said. He also noted that Indians were buried in the cemetery on the privately owned Squaw Island.

Hayes said the town has been in contact with the Human Rights Commission investigator and informed the commission of the board’s decision to drop the “w” from the word.

“Right now we are waiting to see what the complainant says, whether they agree with what the board has done. If it comes back to us that they are unhappy with what we’ve done, the board will change it to something else,” he said. “The board does not want to take this to court. Quite frankly, we would like to see it just go away.”

Hayes noted that the landmarks have “been that way forever” and that if the town was forced to change their names to something such as Squall Point, “people are still going to call it Squaw Point. That’s just the way it is.”