I was appalled to read on the front page (BDN, March 21) that James Confalone, the owner of the commercial side of Big Squaw Mountain, “has no intentions of changing the name.” Our elected officials do not represent merely a small “group of Indians” as he seems to be claiming. I am offended that Confalone suggests the name is only offensive to Native Americans. As far as I know, I have no Native blood in me. That is not the point. The point is the word is a perjorative reference to a Native American woman. The Random House: Webster’s Dictionary makes that very clear: squaw. n. often offensive. 1. An American Indian woman, especially a wife. 2. Slang. (disparaging and offensive) a wife, any woman or girl.

Were the editors of the dictionary also “ambushed by a small group of Indians”?

We have repeatedly read that Natives say the word is synonymous with female genitalia. Most of us know a slang word for that. Would we ever think of allowing a mountain to be named that? I can think of another word whose first dictionary meaning is “a bundle of sticks.” Would we allow a mountain to be called by that name? If our legislators hadn’t changed the name, they would be getting this letter from me. Barbara J. Conroy Ellsworth