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OLYMPIC VALLEY, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 14: A skier leaves for the day at Squaw Valley Resort on March 14, 2020 in Olympic Valley, California Alterra Mountain Company, which owns Squaw Valley Resort, will suspend operations at all 15 of their North American ski resorts, starting the morning of Sunday, March 15, until further notice because of the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) outbreak. Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images North America

After a year of reckoning over racial justice terms linked to their name, a famous California ski resort replaced a derogatory term for Native American women in its name, to offer a fresh start, Monday.

Ski Resort Name Change Welcomes Positivity

According to ABC News, resort officials of the former Squaw Valley Ski Resort decided to change its name to Palisades Tahoe on Monday. Palisades Tahoe President and COO Dee Byrne stated that the name change was the right thing to do and it would create a difference. The officials believed that they were going to be seen as a more welcoming, inclusive resort and a community.

The word "squaw," which simply meant "woman" in the past, evolved as a misogynist and racist term to disparage Indigenous women.

Byrne stated that after studying the issue for more than a year, the researchers of the resort concluded that the word is indeed very offensive not only to Indigenous women but to all women.

Moreover, the resort which is in Olympic Valley, was formerly known as the Squaw Valley until it hosted the 1960 Winter Olympics. For decades, tribes in the region had been asking the resort for a name change.

Meanwhile, Darrel Cruz of the Washoe Tribe Historic Preservation Office said in a statement that the valley is within the ancestral homeland of the Washoe people.

Cruz added that the word inflicted them, especially in time periods.

Also, Washoe Tribal Chairman Serrell Smokey relayed information that the tribal council expressed great appreciation about the name change as it is a positive step forward, NBC Bay Area reported.

"We need to continue to capitalize on that progress and continue to push forward," Smokey added.

Furthermore, resort officials said that the resort's new logo honors the two legendary mountains that are part of it. Palisades Tahoe's logo also featured an eagle, which is a symbol of the spiritual world for Native Americans after getting approval from the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California.

California Ski Resort Partners with Washoe Tribe

Beyond changing its name, the company said it is partnering with the Washoe Tribe to educate resort guests about the culture of the tribe and the resort would be launching the Washoe Cultural Tour series which will offer a monthly talk by Cruz. The resort will also install an exhibit on the Washoe way of life to deepen the connection to the tribe.

The Washoe Tribal Chairman said that the tribe plans to work with the resort and officials in Placer County to rename other public places and features in the Olympic Valley that used the derogatory word throughout the years.

On the other hand, the renaming of the Squaw Valley Ski Resort is only one of many efforts in the United States to address a history of colonialism and oppression against Native Americans.

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Written By: Jess Smith

WATCH: Squaw Valley Ski Resort Changes Name to Palisades Tahoe- NBC Bay Area