In modern dictionaries, the definition of the word "squaw" is simple:

Webster’s Unified Dictionary and Encyclopedia, 1959

n. an American Indian woman; a female, colloq.

Webster’s New Twentieth Century Dictionary, 1976

1. an American Indian woman or wife

2. any woman: chiefly humorous

The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 1980

n. a North American Indian woman [< Algon.]

Oxford American Dictionary, 1980

n. a North American Indian woman or wife

The Chambers Dictionary, 1993.

n. a native American woman, esp a wife

The controversy over this term appears to have started in 1973 with the book Literature of the American Indian, by Thomas E. Sanders and Walter W. Peek. Sanders and Peek suggested that the word "squaw" may have been derived from a Mohawk word for female genitalia. In a 1992 appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show, Native American spokesperson Suzan Harjo mentioned their theory and started the controversy. The theory has been proven false by linguists² but that hasn’t stopped the flood of political correctness activists from objecting to the name.

Since the word "squaw" has never been a part of the native vocabulary in the western three-quarters of the nation, the only way the Indians can form an opinion of the word is by observing how it is used in the English language and listening to the opinions of linguistic "authorities." I believe that there would be little objection to the word "squaw" among Indian peoples if they knew the true etymology of the word.

When our languages are perceived as dirty words, we and our grandchildren are in grave danger of losing our self-respect. We must educate, rather than tolerate the loss of our language due to ignorance.

In my memory, the word "Squaw" has always referred to simply an Indian woman or wife - there never was a hint of a derogatory connotation of the word. In the last few years, the political correctness movement seems to be on a quest to search out any and every word that could possibly be used in an insulting or vulgar way and eliminate it from the English language. If this trend is carried to its logical end we could lose a large part of our vocabulary. Even seemingly innocent words like "God" and "mother" can have a vulgar usage. The recently released book The Language Police by Diane Ravitch adds such innocuous words as "jungle," "courageous," and "founding fathers" to the list of offensive words. How long can this go on? Let’s educate rather than decimate our language and the ability to express ourselves.

Our history is important, we should preserve it.

1. www.wordorigins.org/wordors/htm#squaw