Some companies are signing onto this idea of using Native American names on maps.
The maps are intended to supplement and give context to digital maps like Google Maps and Apple Maps.
But such work is complicated by missing data and population swings.
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Some observers compare the movement to recognize Native American place names to the Black Lives Matter movement.
“Using historic Native American place names shows respect,” Croce said.
Many non-Blacks have responded to that wake-up call.
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Theres also a movement to rename places whose monikers belittle Native Americans.
In Utah, a bill wasrecently proposedto let tribes change offensive names, such as Squaw Valley.
“Ive heard it all my life growing up, especially when I was a younger person in school.
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Courts are also beginning to remap the past.
The courts decision could prevent state or local authorities from prosecuting Indigenous people who commit crimes on reservation land.
What to Map?
Theres some debate among experts about which Native American places should be mapped.
A reckoning of how land was taken from Native Americans is long overdue.
