SPOKANE, Wash. — At a Tuesday morning meeting, the Washington State Board of Natural Resources adopted three more tribal proposals to rename geographic places across the state.
The proposals arose due to the current names being derogatory and offensive towards Native American women. The five new names include a new name for a Puget Sound passage in Jefferson County, a ditch in Thurston County and lakes in Kittitas and Chelan counties.
In Chelan County, a five-acre lake near Lake Wenatchee goes by the new name Masawii Lake, a name brought to the board’s attention by a Wenatchi elder.
The Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation proposed the name Nosh Nosh Wahtum for a nine-acre lake north of Cle Elum. This lake in Kittitas County translates to “Salamander Lake.”
“Scɬəqʷ”, the Clallam word for Passage Through, is the new name for the passage between Marrowstone Island and Indian Island. The passage in Jefferson County used to be a travel route for the S’Klallam and Chemacum people in the 18th and 19th centuries. After being blocked by a causeway for around 100 years, the passage was reopened in 2019. Passage Through connects Kilisut Harbor and the southern part of Oak Bay.
South of Tumwater, in Thurston County, a manufactured ditch that originated in 1878 was renamed to Hopkins Ditch.
A Methow tribal elder from the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation proposed a name change of the two-mile-long ridge in Okanogan County west of Pateros. The name reflects the name of the creek below it, being renamed the Swaram Creek Ridge.
An alternative name, Mokheil, was proposed for the ridge, this name is a traditional name for the ridge landform, proposed by Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation.
After the Board approves these recommended names, they will be added to the Washington Administrative Code. Then the Board will pass the names to the United States Board on Geographic names for review.
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