The Saskatchewan government has changed the name of Killsquaw Lake to one that honours Indigenous women.
The small group of lakes near Unity will now be called Kikiskitotawânawak Iskêwak Lakes which means “we honour the women” in Cree.
Elders in the area chose the new name to honour the Cree women who lost their lives in this area in the 19th century.
“Our women and children, our language, our lands and our waters are sacred to First Nations people,” Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations Chief Bobby Cameron says in a news release. “That derogatory name only represented the old settler and racially prejudiced mentality and language that our First Nations people endured for decades in this province. Changing the name of this lake today shows a great respect and step forward towards healing the racial divide in this province, while honouring the First Nations women we’ve lost, our lands and waters and our Cree language.”
The nomination for the change was submitted by Kellie Wuttunee from the Red Pheasant First Nation.
“To properly respect and honour Indigenous women, we should no longer have denigrating place names in Saskatchewan or Canada,” Wuttunee says. “The previous name was harmful and undermined the pride and self-esteem of Indigenous people. By changing the name, we are giving a voice to the ones who were silenced. Words are powerful. Names are powerful. They inform our identity. With actions like this, we are reminding each other and telling the world that we can learn from our mistakes and move forward together.”
An official cultural naming ceremony will take place in the Spring of 2019.
“Our women are our warriors and sacred life givers and in a province that is only beginning to heal, this is a good way to honour those First Nations women who lost their lives and still continue to go missing or end up murdered,” FSIN Vice Chief Heather Bear says. “We are proud of the new name and understand the intent of the original name was to honour a group of Cree women who lost their lives at the lake, however, it’s unfortunate that it has taken a century from the time it came to be to finally reflect First Nations women in a less derogatory way.”
(PHOTO: The Unity area lakes that have been renamed. Photo courtesy of saskatchewan.ca.)