What’s in a name? Plenty, according to state lawmakers. Especially if it involves an offensive ethnic, racial or sexist slur.
On Tuesday, Oct. 15, the Plumas County Board of Supervisors will hold an 11 a.m. public hearing to consider renaming a 1,200-foot road in the northeast corner of the county.
The current name includes the word “sq_,” a sexist and racist slur insulting to most Native American tribes. In this case, it references the historic common name for Ceanothus prostratus, known today as mahala mat and pinemat. It is a low-growing, mat-forming evergreen ground cover native to the Pacific Northwest into northern California and Nevada.
The county road, less than a quarter of a mile long, is one of three in the state sharing the same common name. Eliminating and replacing that name, along with all of the 43 California place names using the word, is the objective of Assembly Bill 2022.
Tribes suggest replacement names
The road to be renamed is off of Plumas National Forest Road 28N01 east of Antelope Lake near the Sierra Nevada escarpment. Plumas County Planning Director Tracey Ferguson contacted eight different tribal groups with direct ties to the geographic area now known as Plumas County. Three groups had responded with suggestions by Oct. 10.
Tribal members Harla Lee and Danny Manning met with Plumas County officials Sept. 10 and recommended Demtatoko (dem-tah-to-ko) Lane. That is the Tosidum Maidu name for the plant.
Mooretown Rancheria of Maidu Indians held a tribal council meeting Oct. 1 to discuss the name change. They recommended Elderberry Lane or Lokom Kodo (lo-kom ko-do) Lane, the Tosidum Maidu name for elderberry.
Liz Bolin, a tribal member, emailed Ferguson Aug. 27 and recommended one of the plant’s accepted modern names, either pinemat or mahala mat. She added a general suggestion that the county adopt the traditional Maidu place name for that area.
The Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California declined to participate in the renaming process. Tsi Akim Maidu responded that the tribe is not in a position to consult at this time.
Three tribal groups had not responded by Oct. 10: the Estom Yumeka Maidu Tribe of the Enterprise Rancheria, Greenville Rancheria of Maidu Indians and the Susanville Indian Rancheria.
Assembly Bill 2022 priorities
The responsibility for selecting the final recommended replacement name lies with the Plumas County supervisors. According to the legislation, which was sponsored by Assemblymembers James C. Ramos, the first California Native American elected to the state Legislature, and Cristina Garcia, chair of the California Legislative Women’s Caucus, the renaming process must consider the historical, cultural or ethnic significance of the original name. Specifically, Plumas County and other public agencies are expected to prioritize names that honor the original, traditional or current name used by tribes to refer to the geographic feature or place.
The supervisors must also prioritize names incorporating the local indigenous language. The new name must preserve the original intent of the geographic name as a historical record of the cultural landscape, according to the legislation. That means using general descriptors and generic terms such as river, creek, mountain or an appropriate term from the indigenous language of the area. The legislation asked agencies to work in partnership with their local community and California Native American tribes.
From there, the California Advisory Committee on Geographic Names and California Natural Resources Agency are charged with providing recommendations to the U.S. Board on Geographic Names. The committee made its initial request for renaming Feb. 9 to Plumas County and around 20 other public agencies in the state with “sq_” names on features and places.
All interested parties are welcome to attend the public hearing and will be given an opportunity to address the board of supervisors and county staff and provide public comments, Ferguson said. Her staff report is available at https://plumascoca.portal.civicclerk.com/event/1563/overview.
Written comments can be mailed to the Plumas County Planning Department, ATTN: Tracey Ferguson, Planning Director, 555 Main St., Quincy, CA 95971 or [email protected]. For further information, contact the Plumas County Planning Department at 530-283-6214.
Editor’s note: This story has been changed to reflect more accurate information about Ceanothus prostratus.
